A Soul for Christmas
by BlackSwann004
Summary: When Bella's mother is killed in a tragic accident Bella is subjected to Forks to live with her dad. She soon starts to unravel deadly secrets that reveal why her mother left Forks to begin with, while discovering why the town of Forks forbids Christmas.
1. Chapter 1

Prologue:

Christmas.

The one time of year that people should be happy to celebrate without worry. Houses on every block in the neighborhood overflowing with bright lights that are sometimes so over the top you have to stop and wonder how someone ever had the time much less the energy to do it all. The little kids are more excited about this holiday than even their birthdays because they know the jolly old dude with the plump cheeks and red and white suit will give them toys to their little hearts desire—even the little terrible ones who throw temper tantrums in the grocery store all be cause mommy won't get him a lollipop will get their share from Santa Claus, as well.

Not that I personally believe in Santa. Besides, what parent in their right mind would be okay with some sweaty fat dude in red velvet coming to their house in the dead of night to drop off gifts? Certainly not me. I was glad that I jumped off of that crazy train early enough to know better.

But still, all of this aside, Christmas really should be a time of year to be carefree and to not have worries piled up so high that you can't see past them.

Like I said, this _should _be a time when all of that happens and lots more, but for the people of Forks, Washington for the past one hundred and fifty years or so Christmas has only been known as a dark time that no one dares or even wishes to celebrate. For this small and sleepy Washington town the cold and snow bring a little bit more than your traditional season's greetings.

Something extremely sinister and feared by many, including myself know that I knew the full extent of what this holiday meant to the citizens of Forks. The gruesome little ghost story that would change my life in a big way.

I hadn't always been fearful of Christmas. That was because I hadn't always lived in Forks. I'd only moved here a month before my Christmas nightmare began. One month was all it took for so many things to happen to me—good and bad. To form friendships—some way more than others—that would last a lifetime—well, that's what I had thought then. One month to meet a guy that I fell madly for within just one week of knowing him. But despite all of these good things, one month was also all it took for my life to fall apart right before my unbelieving eyes and for me to realize that war and poverty looked like sunshine and rainbows next to the evil I had witnessed.

This is my story.

My story of the one and only Christmas I ever spent in Forks, Washington.

Fair warning—it's a dark one so if you don't want your bright and cheerful Christmas of candy-canes, garland-filled trees, and the fat guy to be completely ruined then I suggest you go and read _**A**__**Christmas Carol**_ or something because Ebenezer Scrooge and his Christmas hating soul can't hold a candle to a story such as this one.

Chapter 1

My name is Bella Swan and I originally reside from Denver, Colorado—the perfect picturesque Christmas card.

Living in Denver during Christmas time was always a thrill—well at least for me, my mother Renee, and her husband Phil Dwyer of five years. Well, at least it would have been five years the upcoming December, but it seemed like fate had another plan for my loving mother and her hubby. Instead of heading to our cabin in the mountains of Colorado like we did every year to celebrate my mom's and Phil's anniversary—yeah they were corny and got married on Christmas Eve—things went a little different than originally planned. Well, things turned out a whole lot different than originally planned.

It was one week before Thanksgiving when I received the news. I was studiously preparing for finals that would come after Thanksgiving break when the cops came to my school and broke up my little study party A.K.A. me and my Calculus book in the school library.

I remember them walking up to me in their navy blue polyester uniforms with sullen looks on their faces and all I could think of was what I had gotten in trouble for that was so big that I needed police escorts. I wouldn't necessarily call myself a bad student but I was very strong opinioned and my mouth usually got me detention for it.

But this was something different. I could tell it as soon as they sat in the chairs across the table from me, folded their hands and gave the look that could only be described as sympathy—it could have been pity, maybe it depended on the way you looked at it. I knew it was something different when the plump one with the dreadful beard and mustache sighed sadly and said my name.

"Isabella," he'd said quietly.

"Yes?" I had answered hesitantly, trying my hardest to hear over the blood pounding behind my ears.

"I'm sorry to give you this news, but there's been an accident." He wouldn't look at me.

"An accident?" I asked in a shaky whisper.

"Yes. It's your mother and her husband."

"What happened?" I really didn't want to know.

"It seems they were on the way home from shopping and their car hit a rough patch of ice and there were two other cars involved and well…" he'd hesitated.

"What?" My eyes were already burning with tears, my heart pounding furiously.

"There was no way it could have been stopped," he'd explained. He then gave me the news that made my world seem dark. "They both died instantly in a head-on collision."

That was the point when everything went black. I didn't remember waking up, I didn't remember being poked with needles in the hospital. I didn't even remember that dreadful, sterile hospital smell—and that's saying a lot because I hated hospitals with a fiery passion. What I did remember was going into hysterics and screaming at the top of my lungs to see my mother—I couldn't. According to the police reports, the body was too damaged to be viewed. I also remembered seeing my dad's face in front of mine for the first time in at least two years. I remember clinging to him with a death grip and sobbing into his shirt while he whispered to me that everything would be okay.

What I remember most clearly, though, was my father telling me that I had to move back to Washington with him as soon as I was released from the hospital. I had to leave my mother and the home that I had known since I was four behind and go back to Forks, Washington with my dad.

I wasn't thrilled, but I was also only seventeen, so I had no other choice.

So with much reluctance, I said tear-filled goodbyes to my home and to my mother before packing up and heading to the Pacific Northwest.

Bummer.

The long plane ride to Washington did absolutely nothing to brighten my mood.

My dad—bless his heart—did his best to cheer me up, but it wasn't working. I knew that his heart was in the right place, but I still needed time. I loved my dad, but I just needed a little space. I could tell he was feeling the full weight of my mother's death as well, because it was written all over his face. I knew he never really got over my mother, but this only solidly confirmed it.

We landed in Seattle and made the trip from there to Forks in my dad's shiny black truck. All I could tell about this truck was that it was a Chevy; I wasn't exactly car savvy. It was a blissfully quiet three-hour drive, but it was also long enough for me to do a little more sulking. When we pulled up to my dad's two-story brick house right on the outskirts of town I looked at the front lawn and instantly my dad's choice of profession came back to when I saw the navy and black cop car sitting snugly in the garage.

I'd had enough of cops. Maybe I could convince him to not slip up and wear his uniform around me. That would just bring back too many unwanted memories. No thanks.

The first night proved to be uneventful. I unpacked and dad ordered take-out. I only picked over my food. I had a feeling that I wouldn't have quite an appetite for a while. During dinner my dad informed me that he had enrolled me into Forks High School and I was less that thrilled. Couldn't I be home schooled? I started to ask him, but decided not to shove any extra stress onto his plate. We'd had enough of that in one week alone.

It was Saturday and I would start school on Monday only to be let out again on Wednesday for Thanksgiving break and not have to be back until the following Monday. I wondered if I could talk him into letting me stay home.

That night after I showered—in my own bathroom, go dad! —I meticulously folded and hung every article of clothing I owned. I alphabetized my books and CDs, color coordinated my underwear, socks and shoes; I even went as far organizing my headbands by color, size, and shape. Maybe I was becoming OCD. I didn't care—if I didn't have full control over my emotions, I needed control of something. I saved my computer, printer and i-Pod dock for last and after all of that was done I was finally tired enough to actually sleep.

My first night in my new bed was oddly comforting and I slept blissfully without any nightmares of my mother's terrified face before a stupid patch of ice suddenly ended her life.

**A/N: **So sad about Bella's mother and husband, right? And a town that doesn't celebrate Christmas? Can you say weird?

Please review and let me know what you think..


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Monday morning was annoyingly cold and I didn't want to get out of bed.

I didn't know why I was complaining. It wasn't like Denver at this time of year was exactly pleasant. Maybe my sullen mood had made my body numb and my skin just had to readjust to the cold temperature.

My dad had already left for his morning shift and I took a long hot shower before dressing in a sturdy navy cardigan, blue jeans and boots, all over top a comfy, warm black thermal jumper. I threw my favorite knitted wool hat that my mother had made for me over my long dark hair and grabbed an apple juice from the fridge.

I spotted a note on the freezer door that made my mood a tad bit better.

My dad had left me the keys to his truck while also reminding me to go over to the DMV after to school to get a Washington Driver's license.

I knew that this was all a part of his attempt to improve my mood and I had to admit that it was working.

Getting into the big black truck on the driver's side seemed extremely silly and the truck actually looked bigger now that I was behind the wheel. Obviously my dad was confident that my 115 pound, 5'4" body could handle it, so I didn't question it. There was a thin coating of snow on the ground and I briefly checked the tires. I didn't have to worry, though my dad had already secured snow chains neatly around all four tires. I drove to school feeling much more confident.

Forks High School was right in the thick of the small town. It wasn't enormous like my school back in Denver had been, but it was big enough for the town to be as small as it was. It consisted of three large two-story brick buildings and a noticeably larger one on the outer grounds of campus, which I was assuming was the gym. The parking lot was vast for such a small school. There were already many cars parked but it wasn't hard to find a space. I cut the engine grabbed my bag and headed for the main building.

Thankfully my thick black coat and knitted hat blended in perfectly with those of the other few students I passed. No one looked twice in my direction, but that could have been because I was walking with my head partially down.

I looked up briefly and saw that I was a mere five feet away from the door of the front office. I sped up a little, eager to get out of the frigid cold. I welcomed the toasty warmth of the small office, letting it dissolve into my frozen skin and sighed at the pleasant sensation.

The woman from behind the front desk looked up and smiled at me.

"May I help you?" she asked.

She was dressed impeccably well in a stunning cashmere sweater and pearls placed delicately on her neck. Her hair was wrapped in a neat bun, not a strand out of place and her nails were bright red. The warmly lit room made her cinnamon-like skin tone seem like it was glowing.

"Um, I'm Isabella Swan…" I didn't need to say anything more. Recognition lit her face and I knew that my father had no doubt been bragging to everyone about my arrival.

"Oh yes! We've been waiting on you Isabella. I have your class schedule right here—just sign this sheet."

She pushed a neon blue slip of paper in my direction and handed me a pen and I quickly signed the dotted line.

"Thank you, dear. Well, here is your class schedule and a map, though I doubt you'd be able to get lost in this little school. Feel free to explore a little. You'll have two extra minutes after the bells today so it'll be easier for you to find your classes. We're so happy to have you here. And I'm really sorry to hear about your mother. She was a very lovely person." Her eyes were sad as she said this. I had a feeling there was more to the story of how she knew my mother, but I didn't ask.

I politely gave a simple "Thank You" and turned to leave.

"I'm Mrs. Cope by the way," she called to me as I exited the office.

I checked the time on my cell and looked at my schedule. It was seven forty-five and my first class—Calculus—started at eight. I had fifteen minutes to kill, so I set out for the building on the far right side of campus to look for my classroom.

It wasn't hard to find. Mrs. Gray's Calculus classroom was on the second floor and was the last door at the end of the hallway. The hallway was deserted so I decided to sit on the little bench just outside the classroom and catch up on a little reading. I had my newest copy of Cosmopolitan—my traditional classic romance novels would only bring my mood down further—and I settled for catching up on the latest fashion trends that I knew I would never follow.

I was thoroughly engrossed in a ridiculous sex help article titled _**The Art of the Female Orgasm **_when I heard footsteps approaching. I looked up from a disturbingly graphic story of a woman and her sex escapades and saw a boy walking down the hall.

He was tall, well built without being overly muscular, and he had a mess of bronze tresses adorning his head styled into chaotic perfection. But that's not what I initially noticed about him. It was his face that had me starring at him, mouth open like an idiot.

His face—the skin on it as perfect as ivory—was the most perfect face that I'd ever laid eyes on. He had strong bone structure—a perfect, chiseled nose, a sharp and mesmerizing jaw-line, lips, full and red, that looked liked they had been thoroughly ravaged. And his eyes…his eyes were the color of emeralds, but they were also dark in a way—dark, but expressive. I could only imagine the secrets that hid behind them.

I processed all of this in about eight seconds and his eyes finally spotted me sitting alone in the quiet hallway. He gave a small little half smile that made me want to jump his bones, discard my Cosmopolitan, and have him teach me the art of the female orgasm himself.

_Jesus, Bella, where on earth did that come from?_

I was as thoroughly confused as my inner self about my thoughts, but I couldn't help that that was what I thought about when I looked at him. The boy was insanely hot and he had to know it.

"What's a pretty girl like yourself doing sitting all alone out here?" He asked in a voice like smooth chocolate running delicately over the finest velvet.

Did he steal his vocal cords from the harps of Heaven?

_Say something, idiot!_

"I'm just waiting on the bell," I said in voice that came out sounding smoother than I expected.

He nodded and looked in the direction of Mrs. Gray's classroom. He turned his eyes back to me and furrowed his eyebrows a little.

Damn, even his eyebrows were perfect.

"Do I know you? You look really familiar," he stated.

"I don't think so. I just moved here. Though you might have heard my father talk about me coming. He's the police chief."

Understanding and the same look of recognition that Mrs. Cope gave me stole away his confused expression.

"You're Isabella?" he asked.

I think I creamed my panties just hearing him say my name. I quickly got it together and answered him.

"Yes, I am, but I prefer Bella."

"Well, Bella, your dad is good friends with my mother. He told her all about you before you got here." He didn't mention the recent loss of my mother and for that I was grateful. "I'm Edward Masen," he said while holding out his hand to me.

I took it expecting to get a handshake, but instead he pressed his lips to my trembling hand and left a kiss there as light as air. I stayed under control the best I could, but the tightening in the pit of my stomach could not be helped.

"I'm Bella Swan… well, you know that already don't you?" I sounded like an idiot.

He chuckled. "So how are you liking Forks so far?"

"Well all I've seen so far is my dad's house and the school's main office, so I'll let you know when I go on an official and more thorough tour."

"I can't wait to hear what you think of it. It's a pretty small town so there's not much to do, but the people here are great."

"Sounds…great," I say sounding completely illiterate, but I couldn't help it. His green eyes were hypnotic and I found myself continually getting lost in them.

"So you have Mrs. Gray first?"

I nodded.

"So do I," he said with a genuinely pleased smile on his face. "And don't worry she's a great teacher, she's a little nervous at times, but her class is a piece of cake."

"Well, thank God because I really hate math," I say with a chuckle.

"Well, I'm pretty good at it, so if you ever need a tutor…" he trailed off.

I nearly squealed out loud.

"That's good to know."

At that moment the bell rang. I stuffed my magazine in my bag and stood up.

"After you," Edward stated, sweeping his arm forward in a motion that told me to go ahead.

I walked ahead of him, feeling extremely self-conscious knowing that he could see me but I couldn't see him. I heard the buzz of voices floating up the stairway as I turned the doorknob to Mrs. Gray's class and I was glad that I decided to come up here before any other students did. I didn't need the awkwardness of being gawked at because I was the new girl. I chose a seat in the back pf the classroom, surprised to see that Edward followed me sitting right in front of me.

"Hey, were you spying on me or something? How did you know exactly where I sat?" he joked.

I only smiled as he smirked at me and sat down. His movement sent a breezed of air in my direction and his mesmerizing scent wafted my way. There was no way to describe exactly how he smelt. It was a mixture of cologne, cinnamon, and a faint hint of burning wood. I'd never smelled anything more fascinating. I was in a daze and I didn't notice that the class was nearly full.

I was snapped out of that daze by the sound of high heels clacking on the linoleum floor. I saw the bright red toenails peeking through the suede black peep-toe heels before I saw anything else. They were attached to long legs clad in dark blue skinny jeans which were paired with a bright red silk shirt ruffled down the middle with one too many button undone. I could see the cleavage spilling out of the shirt and it was not a welcome sight. When I finally made it to her face I wasn't at all surprised by what I saw. I'd seen plenty of girls like this back in Denver.

This girl had blonde hair—platinum blonde—that was straight as a board and shiny as new silver. Her face was oval shaped, framed by perfectly shaped brows. Her bright green eyes were framed by thick lashes and they were cruel and by the way she was looking at me, bright red lips pursed, I could tell that she already didn't like me and I felt the same way about her even though I didn't know her.

She stopped at Edward's desk and turned her eyes away from me to look at him, but I wouldn't call it 'looking' exactly. It was more like she was eyeing him like the finest, rarest steak. Hungrily.

"Good morning, Edward," she said in a sickly sweet voice that made me want to laugh. She sounded like what I would imagine a Barbie doll to sound like.

"Good morning, Lauren," Edward said, smiling politely.

"Who's your friend here?" she asked him, her eyes sliding back to me.

"This is Bella Swan. She just moved here. You know her dad, police chief, Charlie Swan."

Understanding lit up her eyes. "Oh! Of course! You're what all of the buzz has been about lately. And I'm really sorry about your mother, I lost my mom when I was twelve, so I know what that must feel like." The cruel look in her eyes dimmed.

I nodded. Maybe she wasn't so bad after all.

I pulled my hat off of my head and shook my hair out around my face. I heard a gasp and looked up to see Lauren staring at me, mouth wide open a look of shock on her face.

"What? Is there something wrong?" I asked as my hands flew up to my head. I don't what I was expecting to find—a bald spot, maybe? All of my hair was present, but Lauren was still staring, almost like she had seen a ghost.

"Oh my God," she said in an amazed whisper. "You look exactly like—"

Edward clearing his throat abruptly cut off her sentence.

"Lauren," he said in a tone filled with warning. Her shocked eyes darted from me to Edward and I saw him shake his head at her slightly. "Don't go there." There was a note of finality in his voice.

"Um Excuse me?" I said, getting their attention. "What exactly is going on? Who do I look like, exactly?" I asked, kind of annoyed that they were having some quiet, secretive discussion about me while I was obviously right in front of them.

Edward looked at me then, a warm smile on his face, but I could see the caution in his eyes. "Nothing. Right, Lauren?" he asked, cutting his eyes suspiciously in her direction.

"Um, yeah," she stammered. "I don't know what I was thinking…. Well, I hope you have a good first day. See you later," she gave a nice little wave and turned to Edward once more. "Bye Edward, I'll see you around."

"Yeah, see you later," he said politely.

She walked swiftly to the front of the classroom and took her seat, immediately starting up a conversation with a petite brunette who was sitting in the seat next to hers.

I turned back to Edward who was still turned sideways in his seat, but was trying his very best not to look at me.

"So what was that all about?" I asked. He turned to me and gave me a nervous smirk.

"Nothing important," he said, but I had a feeling that was not entirely true.

"Are you—" but I was cut off by the tardy bell and what I assumed was Mrs. Gray's voice coming from the front of the classroom.

Edward turned in his seat to face he front of the classroom.

"Good morning everyone," Mrs. Gray said in light airy voice as she fidgeted with the pen she had in her hand. I could sort of see the nervous quirk about her that Edward had mentioned earlier. "I have a bit of news for you today. I won't be returning after the Thanksgiving holidays because I'll be on maternity leave," she explained and it was only then did I notice her swollen, protruding belly that she rubbed affectionately. Well, Edward didn't mention that. "Anyway," she continued, "I'll be back shortly after the new year so I'll go ahead and wish you a very happy Thanksgiving and a wonderful new year," she said and I noticed that no one acknowledged how she left out her Christmas wishes.

Weird. I chalked it up to her nervousness and didn't think about it further.

"Also, we have a new student joining us today," she said and I could see her searching the room for my face. I held my hand up hesitantly and it seemed like all eyes instantly shifted to me, even Edward turned to look. "Oh! There you are, dear. Won't you stand?" she asked sweetly.

I stood up slowly, running my hand through my hair, a nervous habit that I'd always had.

"Everyone this is Isabella Swan. Many of you may know her father, our very own police chief Charlie Swan," she explained excitedly. I could hear the murmurs and whispers all around me and somehow my eyes ended up on Lauren in the front of the classroom. She was whispering to the little brunette at her side. The dark haired girl's eyes suddenly shifted to me and then widened significantly. I had a feeling the same forbidden conversation that almost went down between Lauren and Edward a few moments ago was currently being held in full force by the way that the little brunette was looking at me.

"Now, I want everyone in this classroom to make her feel welcome. We are very pleased to have you, Isabella," she said with a warm smile.

"Thank you," I mumbled before sitting down in my desk.

There were still a few people staring my way, but most of them had turned their attention back to Mrs. Gray who was currently wobbling her way around her desk.

"Well then, why don't we pick up with reviews for your final," she stated as she turned out the light and fired up the overhead projector. Even though I wasn't sure if I would have to take the test, I took thorough note anyway.

When the bell rang Edward turned to me. I was about to ask him about what had happened with Lauren earlier, but he beat me to the punch.

"Who do you have next?" he asked.

My hope on getting any further information deflated and I quickly glanced at my schedule. "Spanish II, Rodriguez," I stated.

"Bummer, I have gym, but I'll show you the way," he said.

"Sure, I just need to get my textbook and ask Mrs. Gray about finals."

"Cool, I'll just wait outside," she said with a smile.

Be still, my beating heart. I just nodded and watched him walk out of the classroom. After I'd gotten my Calculus book and had everything straightened out about my final I quickly left the room and found Edward leaning patiently against the wall.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Yeah," I answered and he led the way.

**A/N** – So what did you think of Edward and Bella's first meeting? And what was with the strange interaction between Lauren and Edward?

Please Review to let me know what your thoughts are!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Senor Rodriguez's class was in the main building along with the front office and auditorium. The bell rang just as we made it to the classroom door.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you late," I apologized. I really was sorry, but I was also bummed that I still didn't have time to ask him about his weird reaction to Lauren's statement earlier.

"Don't worry, I'm cool with the coach. It'll be fine. I'll see you later."

"Yeah, see you," said before he took off for the front doors. I walked quickly into the classroom expecting the teacher to scold me for my tardiness, but he simply welcomed me as the new student, gave me my textbook and showed me to my seat.

I sat down, aware that every eye was on me; the only ones that weren't were the ones that I noticed from my Calculus class earlier. I noticed that sitting in the desk next to me was the little brunette girl that Lauren had been whispering to earlier. She was really pretty up close and I noticed that she was dressed very similar to Lauren. I figured that they definitely ran in the same circle. I felt her eyes following every move that I made and it was starting to make me feel uncomfortable. I chanced a glance in her direction and when she saw me looking she quickly looked away. I didn't look at her again for the entire remainder of the class period, but I knew that she was looking at me. Didn't her parents ever teach her that it wasn't polite to stare?

I was beyond relieved when the bell finally rang. I quickly pulled my schedule out of my bag to remind myself of which class I had next, but before I could even check a voice stopped me.

"Do you need any help finding your next class?" the voice asked.

I looked up and saw the brunette looking down at me. Her blue eyes seemed kind on the surface, but I could see beneath the clear surface of her eyes all of the questions she was dying to ask. I didn't want to seem rude so I put a smile on my face.

"Um yeah, sure," I said and looked at my schedule again. "It's just study hall in the library," I told her.

"What do you know, I have study hall next too," she said with a smile that didn't seem genuine at all. "You can walk with me."

"Okay," I said, knowing that I was setting myself up for the kill.

"Great! I'm Jessica, by the way." She sounded more excited about sitting in the library for an hour with the new girl than she should have and I knew that she just saw this as an opportunity to ask the questions I saw bubbling behind her eyes. What an hour this would be.

I didn't bother introducing myself. I was more than a little sure that she knew who I was.

We walked in silence to the library. It was a small building that was tucked right behind the main building. I could tell by looking at the exterior that it had recently built and because it didn't fit in at all with old-fashioned brick buildings that made up half of the campus.

When we walked in I was assaulted by the smell of books—old and new. I inhaled deeply and wondered whether if there was such a thing as book-scented air freshener. I was pulled out of my book-scent high by Jessica's voice.

"You'll have to sign in with the librarian and let her know who you are first. I'll be just behind the shelves of the reference section, right over there, kay?" she said and turned away, dark curls bouncing around her shoulders and down her back, and walked behind a few book shelves on the far right side of the library.

The front desk was just to my left. Behind it was a thin woman with stringy brown hair that was pulled tightly back into a bun. There were only a few wrinkles taking up space on her skin, but she seemed to be in her late forties, maybe early fifties. I walked slowly up to the desk and quietly cleared my throat. She looked up and a pair of glasses straight from the sixties shielded her eyes, the glare reflected on them from the outside light coming from the windows made it impossible for me to see her eyes clearly.

"How can I help you?" she asked in a wispy voice.

"I'm Bella Swan and I—" she gasped before I could finish my sentence. I knew what was coming before she even said a word.

"Oh, I know exactly who you are," the librarian said in a thin voice that didn't seem the least bit friendly. "My Lord! Your father didn't tell me about the completely uncanny resemblance," she said in a slightly awed voice as she snatched her glasses from her nose revealing flat brown eyes.

"I'm sorry, what exactly do you mean?" I asked as she began to ramble around on her desk.

"Well, you mother dear, of course. She was once a member of Forks High School a long time ago before she skipped town after you came along. You look just like her," she said as she placed a clipboard in front of me.

I quickly signed my name. "That's funny," I said as I slid the clipboard back in her direction. "Not many people say that I look like my mom. They say I take more after my dad."

"Well, you should have seen you mother when she was your age and you are the spitting image, let me tell you." She sighed. "But I guess the resemblance is in the eye of the beholder and maybe I'm just getting old," she said with a dry chuckle.

"Well, Miss Swan I do hope you like it here," she said, but it didn't seem genuine. "And be careful who you make friends with, not everyone can be trusted." She nodded in the direction that Jessica earlier went.

I nodded. "I'll keep that in mind." I turned and walked towards the reference section until I saw Jessica's curly head sitting at a table in the corner. She looked up when she heard me approaching.

"Hey, what took you so long? All you had to do was sign your name."

"The librarian is a little…" I trailed off.

"Weird? Creepy?" Jessica finished.

"Yeah."

Jessica snorted. "She's like that all the time. She didn't give you a hard time did she?"

_**Like you actually care.**_ My inner voice was getting brave.

"No. She was just a little curious about my mother, that's all."

"That nosey old hag is always in everybody's business but her own. And I'm sorry about you mom, by the way. My mom knew her and from what she told me it seemed like your mom was a very lovely person."

"Thank you." I pulled out my Cosmo again.

"So is Forks a lot different from Denver?" she asked.

"Not much, but I haven't had a lot of time to explore so I don't actually know."

"Well, it's not terribly interesting. I wish I could say the same for the school, though. It's a good thing you ran into me first. I can give you a heads up on how to operate in this school without losing your social status. You can start fresh because you're new here, but unfortunately for most at Forks High they've already committed social suicide. Just stick with me and you'll be fine."

Wow, this girl was really shallow. I just nodded pretending to take her advice seriously while flipping through my magazine.

"So I saw you sitting behind Edward Masen this morning in Calculus," she stated and I knew from her tone of voice that she wanted details.

"Yeah. I ran into him right before class started. He seems nice."

"Yeah, he's nice, but he's so yummy, right?"

I somehow knew that the basis of Jessica's Judgment would all boil down to looks.

"Yeah, he's cute," I said lamely. I wasn't exactly the type to fawn over boys the way she seemed to want to do, but I didn't let her know how mesmerized by Edward I had been.

"Please, cute doesn't even compare with Edward. But even though he's like the hottest guy to ever walk the earth, he doesn't seem to give girls around here the time of day," she said with a sigh and I wondered how many times she'd been turned down by Edward.

"Maybe he just wants to focus in school. He seems pretty smart."

Jessica scoffed. "Please. He could get into any girls' panties in the entire school. Maybe he just doesn't think the girls here are good enough for him. I mean God only knows how many times I've thrown myself at him. Who knows, though? Maybe he's gay; you can't rule out that possibility."

"Maybe," I said in a tone that was obviously uninterested, but Jessica kept talking anyway. God, I'd barely known this chick for an hour and she was already giving me a migraine. I glanced at the clock and realized that we still had forty minutes left.

Great. Maybe if I acted like I wasn't listening, then she'd stop talking, but then I thought about Edward's strange forbidden conversation with Lauren earlier and my suspicion that Jessica somehow knew about it. I waited until she stopped to take a breath from talking before I jumped in with my questions.

"Jessica?" I asked, as she pulled out a makeup compact from her purse.

"What's up?"

"Um, earlier your friend Lauren was talking to Edward and when he introduced us she sort of had this weird reaction to me. I don't know how to explain it, but she kind of looked like she'd seen a ghost. Would you happen to know why she reacted that way to me?" I asked.

I noticed that Jessica had completely forgotten about her reflection and was fidgeting nervously with the tube of lipstick in her hand.

She shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe you looked familiar to her or something," she said without once looking at me and I could tell that she knew more than she let on.

"Are you sure? Because she seemed pretty spooked to me," I said, desperately trying to get some kind of information out of her, but she wasn't going to budge, I could tell from the nervous look on her face.

"Of course. I'm sure it's nothing," she said with a nervous chuckle. "Hey, so is Gray making you take the final?" she asked me, effectively changing the subject.

I sighed inwardly. Maybe I'd run into Edward again and be able to squeeze more information out of him.

"Um, most of the same stuff that would have been on mine back in Denver will be on this one too, so why not?"

"You mean she actually gave you a choice and you decided to go along with the final anyway?" Jessica asked in shock. I guessed she wasn't a big fan of the academic side of school, only the gossip, I figured.

"It's no big deal. I hate math, but it comes pretty easily to me."

"Math is horrible and Calculus is really completely pointless," she grumbled and picked up her silver compact once more.

Jessica got a text and that conversation seem to keep her occupied for the remainder of the hour and I continued to flip through my magazine without actually seeing any of the pages. My mind wouldn't leave the weird reaction that Lauren had upon seeing me—and Edward's reaction to her reaction. It was all that I could think about until the bell finally rang, releasing us for lunch.

"Lunch time! I'm starving. You can sit with the girls and me at lunch if you want. Come on," Jessica said as she got up and flipped her hair out of her face.

"Okay," I agreed and stuffed my magazine in my book bag.

Upon entering the lunchroom I was worried whether I was going to be the center of attention or not. I was okay with a small classroom full of students looking at me, but a whole lunchroom? The idea of it made me want to puke. But except for a few curious eyes no one gave me a second look. I guessed I was blending in quite well.

I followed Jessica to the lunch line and grabbed a bowl of what looked like chicken noodle soup, a grilled cheese sandwich and a Coke. I looked at Jessica's tray and immediately felt like a cow. For someone who claimed to be starving, all she had picked up was a leafy green salad and a bottle of water; she didn't even pick up any salad dressing. How did girls like her survive only eating stuff like that?

I snatched up an apple for good measure.

I paid for my lunch and followed Jessica to a round table right in the middle of the crowed cafeteria. I figured this was because she seemed like the type who'd want to be the center of attention all of the time. I noticed Lauren from Calculus sitting at the table and two other girls that I hadn't met completing the little semi-circle.

One looked to be about the same height and size as me; she had long dark hair that held a slight wave to it, dark eyes, and pale skin—though not as pale as mine. Something about her seemed gentle in a way; maybe it was the book in her hand that made her seem that way, but I still wondered how she could possibly fit in with the likes of Jessica and Lauren. She didn't even dress the same as them.

The other girl, though, fit right in with Jessica and Lauren. She had long caramel colored hair and an obvious fake tan. Her hazel eyes were heavily made up with dark gray eyeliner and watched my every move crucially as I sat down. Her eyes fell on my lunch tray and her lips immediately turned up in what could only be an expression of disgust for my meal choice.

Well, I could already tell who was going to the bitch of the group.

My eyes searched around the cafeteria in hopes that I could find a group that I would actually fit in with to have lunch with everyday because I could already tell that this little arrangement was going to be awkward. But I knew that I would hardly have the courage to walk up to anyone else and introduce myself so I sucked it up and snapped the lid on my Coke.

"Bella, you've already met Lauren," Jessica stated.

Lauren only gave me a quick glance and an even quicker smile and turned back to her cell phone.

"This is Angela Weber," she pointed to the dark haired girl, "and Tanya Denali," she waved her hand in front of fake-tan.

_**So, the Ice Queen has a name?**_

I almost laughed out loud, but I controlled it.

"Hi, Bella Swan, right?" Angela asked sweetly.

"Yeah, it's nice to meet you both," I said to them as I turned my smile in Tanya's direction, but it was no use. She rudely ignored my greeting and was thoroughly engrossed in either a text message or updating her Facebook status, venting about how she now had to share a lunch table with the new girl who ingested carbs. I didn't know, but I would bet on the latter.

"It's nice to meet you, too," Angela responded before turning to Tanya.

"Tanya, don't be rude to Bella. You _can_ say hi, you know?" she reprimanded.

Tanya looked up from her phone said a quick, "Hi" and went back to punching buttons on her BlackBerry.

"Don't worry about her," Angela whispered to me. "She's bitter like that to everyone.

"I'm sitting right here. I can hear you, you know?" Tanya snapped without once looking up from her phone.

"Well, if you can be rude then I can too," Angela retorted.

"Hmph", Tanya grumbled. "You know you wouldn't even care about being so nice to her if she didn't come with her little sob story about how her—"

"Tanya!" It was Jessica's voice that interrupted Tanya from saying something that would have no doubt gotten her tan slapped right off of her face or me getting suspended on my first day here. "Why do you have to be such a bitch all of the time?"

"Well, I don't know Jess. Why did have to drag this charity case to our table in the first place?" Tanya snapped. I'd just about had enough.

It was Lauren who spoke next. "Oh God, Tanya, where on earth are you manners?" she said in a bored way as she flipped through a worn hot pink notebook.

"Oh please Lauren. You know you're just as freaked out by her sitting at this table as I am. I saw that look on you face this morning in Calc when you realized who she really was," Tanya snapped back.

"Um, I'm still sitting here whether you know it or not. Could you at least have the decency to talk about me while I'm not here?" I asked hotly, ready to throw my entire bowl of soup in Tanya's face.

"Well, if you don't like it then go sit somewhere else?"

I knew that if I stayed that I would be kicked out of school and I really didn't want to disappoint my dad or my mom—rest her soul—by getting in trouble on my first day.

"I'm gonna go now. Because I have a feeling if I stay any longer you're five dollar spray tan won't last much longer," I said to Tanya with finality in my tone.

I heard Angela, who had been quiet during the whole exchange, let out a small laugh and I could tell by the looks on Jessica and Lauren's faces that they were trying to rein their laughter in, as well. The look on Tanya's face was priceless.

As I shoved away from the table I heard Tanya scolding Angela.

"That wasn't funny Angela," she sneered.

"Um yeah it actually was," Angela said with another giggle.

Their arguing voices faded as I dumped my tray in the trash and hurried out of the cafeteria, trying to hold in the anger that was causing stinging tears to form in my eyes.

A/N: That Tanya sure is a Bee-otch! But that was predictable anyway, right? And what about ballsy Bella? Did you think she was as bad-a$$ as I did?

Let me know you're thoughts! I'll hit you w/ another update soon!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

After I slammed my entire tray into the trashcan I made a hasty escape from the cafeteria, and as soon as I spotted the door marked as the 'Girls' Restroom' I rushed inside.

I threw my bag onto the floor and swiped angrily at my tears.

I should not have let her get to me. She didn't even know me. Of course that was what made me upset. Why did she have to be such a bitch to me when she didn't even know me?

I braced myself against the sink and breathed deeply in and out, willing my anger away. I turned on the faucet and splashed cold water on my face and the freezing water instantly made me forget about what had just gone down in the lunchroom. I grabbed a few napkins and dried my face before looking up at myself in the mirror.

I screamed out loud and clutched at my chest when I saw the girl standing behind me. She must have come in while I was too upset to notice. That would explain my reaction.

I quickly realized that I was being silly and I took a few calming breathes before turning to face her.

She was about a head shorter that I was. Her smooth, pale ivory skin was flawless as well as her short black hair that was arranged neatly on her head, spiked carefully in all directions. Her soft brown eyes were kind. She was dressed impeccably well, too.

She stood with her hands behind her back, a small smile on her face.

I was still too stunned to speak and I guess she figured that out so it was her who spoke first.

"I didn't mean to scare you," she said, her voice sounded like wind chimes, light and airy.

"I'm sorry I screamed. I just… I didn't hear you come in," I explained. My breathing was finally back to normal.

"No worries," she said sweetly.

She was still standing there smiling at me and I was beginning to feel unnerved.

"Is there something I can help you with?" I asked, about ready to bolt.

She shook her head and her cute little pixie hair-do bounced a little. "You're just really pretty, that's all," she stated like it was the most obvious thing in the entire world.

Okay, it was now bolting time.

She must have noticed my apprehensive expression, because she laughed. It was a sweet sound. Kind of child-like.

"You must think I'm nutty, standing here calling you pretty and we don't even know each other."

I cleared my throat uncomfortably.

"But you are pretty," she continued; I was at a loss for words at this point. "And Tanya is just threatened by that."

"You saw what happened?"

She nodded. "And she's a bitch, too," she tacked on.

I laughed out loud at this and it seemed to please her.

"I'm Alice Cullen."

"It's nice to meet you, Alice, I'm Bella Swan."

"You know lunch isn't over for another half hour, would you like to come back and sit with me and my brother and cousin?" she asked.

"No thank, but I appreciate it. I just really need a little air right now," I explained, really hating to turn down her invite.

"It's completely understandable. Maybe tomorrow?" she asked hopefully.

I nodded. "Sure thing." I picked my bag up and threw it across my shoulder. "I'll see you around, I guess."

"See you!"

I smiled at her as I walked out the restroom feeling a whole lot better than I had ten minutes ago.

I had noticed a few benches sitting outside of the cafeteria on my way to lunch with Jessica and I quickly sought them out. The cold air was welcome.

I reached my hand inside of my bag and felt around for my lifeline of sorts these days. When I felt the worn edges of the photograph under my fingertips I grasped it and pulled it out.

This picture had gotten me through the past two weeks. It was picture of a younger looking version of my mother snuggling up with a chubby faced, two year old me. This was a picture that was taken before she and Charlie split. I could see the blue couch in the background. The same blue couch that he had in his living room now. My dad was a never-changing man.

I didn't realize I was crying until a tear fell onto the picture, right on top of my mother's smiling face. I quickly swiped at it.

"I miss you, Mom," I whispered, feeling utterly depressed at the hand fate had dealt me. How could she be here one day and gone the next? I still hadn't fully grasped the fact that I would never see her again.

The bell rang at that moment, forcing me to wipe my eyes and pull myself together. According to my schedule, I had History coming up next followed by Biology. Thankfully English had been my strong point back in Denver and I'd progressed through each level so quickly and fluidly that I now didn't have to worry about it popping up on my schedule anymore and quite frankly I enjoyed my free study hall period, but I'd be careful not to sit with Jessica any longer. Especially if Tanya decided to show up.

I put the photo back inside my book bag and started trekking across campus to my next class.

When I reached Mr. Morgan's classroom and went inside the first face I noticed—unfortunately—was Tanya's.

_Oh Great!_

She was giving me the stink eye before I'd even made it two steps into the classroom. I chose to ignore her and looked around for an available seat. That's when I spotted Alice Cullen sitting halfway towards the back. She was grinning eagerly in my direction and motioning for me to take the seat next to hers. I rushed in her direction without hesitation.

"I saved you a seat," she announced excitedly as I sat down.

"How did you even know I'd be in this class?" I asked, trying my best not to sound freaked out about it.

"Oh, I'm an office aide, so I know just about everything that goes down at this school… and I was the one who printed your schedule out—just so you won't think I'm some kind of weird stalker or anything," she said, her eyes wide as saucers.

"No worries," I assured her.

"Good."

Mr. Morgan walked in then and I braced myself for him to force me to introduce myself. He quickly looked over his role and his eyes searched and finally landed on me. He surprised me by only marking my name, grabbing a textbook from the bookshelf and placing it on my desk before going on about his business.

I sighed in relief.

He quickly began going over finals and I sat there and listened, taking note just in case I would be subjected to take his test. At the end of class Mr. Morgan generously dismissed me from having to take the final. Three down, one to go.

Before I said goodbye to Alice for the day, we exchanged numbers and she made me promise that I would sit with her and her family at lunch the following day. I agreed and she bounced excitedly and I idly wondered if she were a bunny rabbit on speed in a past life. The girl had way too much energy for someone of her size.

I could already tell that I wouldn't like my Biology teacher. She was a plump woman with a round face and red cheeks and the first image that came to mind when I first laid eyes on her was one of Santa Claus. Her dark brown hair was cut into a bob that didn't flatter her face at all and her glassed were placed so far down her nose that I was surprised she hadn't gone cross eyed from looking through them. She made me introduce myself and that was the real reason I knew I didn't like her—that and the fact that she thrust a final study guide in my hand before I was even done with my introduction. There's always that one teacher who makes you wonder why someone bothered to invent the idea of school in the first place and crabby old Mrs. Harrison was that teacher.

I was relieved when the bell ran at last, releasing me from her classroom.

I'd waited until the end of the day to search for my locker because I didn't have much in the way of books when I first got here so I decided since I didn't need half of my books for homework that I'd put them away instead of hauling them home.

It took me almost ten minutes to find it and the halls were empty when I finally did. I put in my locker combination and stuffed my books deep into the back.

I was preoccupied with finding my keys so I didn't hear the footsteps until they were directly behind me.

"Well, well, well," I heard the voice say. I knew who it was before I even turned around. "Getting all settled in, I see."

I turned and met the cold and calculating stare of Tanya Denali. She had her arms crossed and was looking down at me like I was a dead bug on the bottom of her designer shoe.

"What do you want with me Tanya?" I asked as I closed my locker.

"Just a few things and I'll be on my way."

"Well, get on with it, I don't have all day," I said in annoyance. I was tired and on the brink if snapping and if she said one thing to me that was out of the way my shoe print would be on her face.

"Why couldn't you have just stayed where you were?" she asked, acid in her tone.

"Excuse me?" I asked, not understanding where she was going with her question.

"Your mother gets killed and you come here and get the whole town worked up. You know everything was finally returning back to normal and then you come prancing into town like you belong here. You don't belong here, Isabella Swan and you'd be wise to follow in your mother's footstep and get out of here while the getting is good."

"What the hell are you talking about Tanya?"

She scoffed. "Like you don't know. You won't have everyone fooled for long—they'll see in you the same thing they saw in your mother and you won't stand a chance."

"Tanya, I knew from the moment I laid eyes on you that you were a little off, but this just proves it. Stay out of my way and we'll both be good."

She let out a loud laugh. "You really have no idea, do you?"

"About what?" I almost yelled.

She only grinned and even though I knew I could take her if she really got on my bad side, her grin sent a chill up my spine.

"Oh, you'll see…soon enough. You'll see Swan."

"I'm out of here," I said and pushed past her to walk out of the door.

"Oh and Isabella?" she called out to me.

"What is it now?"

"Stay away from Edward. He's mine," she said with a sickly sweet smile.

"Whatever." I walked swiftly down the hallway and Tanya's annoying cackle disappeared behind me.

I was beyond relieved when I finally made it home and saw that Charlie was already there.

I dropped my bag in the doorway and went straight to the living room and flopped down on the couch.

"Bells, is that you?" I heard my dad yell from upstairs.

"Yeah Dad!" I yelled up to him

"Did you drop by the DMV?" he asked.

Crap! I knew there was something I was forgetting to do.

"No, sorry Dad it must have slipped my mind," I said.

I heard his footsteps descending the stairs. I had my face buried in a couch pillow so I didn't notice when he came to stand directly in front of me.

"You okay Bells?" he asked.

I sat up straight and ran my hand through my hair. "Yeah, I'm fine.

He eyed me before going to sit in his recliner. "How was school?" he asked.

I knew that question was coming.

I sighed before slumping backwards on the couch again. "School was… well it was high school," I said. I figured I didn't need to give any more explanation than that.

"Did someone give you a hard time, Bells?" he asked, sitting up straight, he looked me dead in the eye, daring me to tell a lie.

"It was just some snobby girls, that's all. Nothing major."

"Are you sure that's all?" he asked, his eyes serious.

"Yeah, Dad, I'm sure." I stood up from the couch. "I have to start studying for finals. I'll be up in my room, okay?"

"Yeah, sure."

I went to grab my bag and started to make my way upstairs.

"I ordered a pizza. It should be here in a bit," Charlie called up to me, as I was halfway up the stairs.

"Okay. Let me know when it arrives," I called back.

"Sure thing."

I closed my door and threw my book bag into the corner with no intention of studying for Mrs. Harrison's stupid Biology test. Even though I hated science, I knew that I would pass it. The school I went to in Denver was light years beyond the curriculum at Forks anyway.

My mind was still revolving around everything that Tanya had said to me earlier. I lay on my bed staring blankly at the ceiling trying to figure out what she could have possibly meant.

She said that I didn't belong here. Who the hell was she to tell me if I belonged here or not? But as I lay there and thought about it my mind couldn't help wondering about Lauren's strange reaction earlier. Could the two possibly be connected in some way?

And then I found myself laughing out loud at myself.

Was I really going to let Tanya's bitchiness get to me? She was obviously peeved at my arrival in Forks, although I had no idea why.

Maybe it had something to do with Edward. She'd warned me to stay away from him. Were they dating? Had she seen him walking me to class? If all of this were over a guy then I would willingly take myself out of that equation. I mean Edward was hot and the sight of him was enough to send my female anatomy into a frenzy, but I'd barely known him a day. If Tanya wanted me to back off, then I would.

Still, she didn't have to attempt to make up silly stories just to get me to leave Edward alone. All she had to do was ask.

I sat up and laughed again—really loud. Charlie was probably downstairs thinking I was going nuts. I stifled my laughter and grabbed my Biology book from my bag and started to go over the chapters that Mrs. Harrison had assigned.

I was about halfway through reading the third assigned chapter when I thought I heard a noise coming from the direction of my window. I didn't think much of it, I just assumed that it was a stray branch scrubbing against the glass and I turned my attention back to my book.

I heard it again. This time, louder and it didn't sound like a branch scrubbing against the window.

It sort of sounded like squeaking—the way the pads of someone's fingers would sound sliding along a damp window.

Even though I knew that I should have been running downstairs to beg Charlie to check it out, stupidly, curiosity got the best of me. I slid the Biology book aside and got up from my bed, easing my way to the window. I jumped a little when one of the floorboards creaked under my shoe, but I kept moving forward. When I was finally upon the window I hesitantly peaked out into the yard below as far as I could with the window still up. Something at the back of my mind was telling me that it was a bad idea to open the window. I didn't know what that something was, but I didn't ignore it.

My eyes were trained on the empty street and the lone street lamp that stood right at the edge of Charlie's property line. This was the only house of this street so there was nothing to see there. But as I stood there trying to see beyond the darkened street I could have sworn I could faintly make out something in the blackness. A faint swatch of whiteness just hovering among the edge of the forest that bordered the lonely street.

I pressed my face closer to the window trying to make out just what it was and at that moment Charlie called up to me from downstairs almost making me jump out of my socks.

"Bells Pizza here!"

I noticed that there was a pizza delivery car parked outside. How did I not notice when it pulled up?

_**Because you're paranoid, looking out of the window for something that isn't there.**_

Miss Inner Voice was getting a little too confident, but she was right.

I checked the locks on my windows and pulled my curtains closed tightly before I headed downstairs.

I joined Charlie in the kitchen and helped myself to two sliced of cheese pizza, suddenly remembering that I had dumped my whole lunch tray in the trash earlier.

"Hey dad?"

"Yeah?" he asked as he ran a paper towel over his mustache.

"We don't have any neighbors close by do we?"

"Uh, no we don't. My house is the only house for another half a mile or so. Why do you ask?"

I shook my head slightly and shrugged my shoulders. "I was just studying and I just though I heard something outside my window, that's all."

He cleared his throat and took a sip of his beer. "Maybe it was just that old tree outside. There are some stray branches on there that I've been meaning to trim. Hell, they drive me nuts all night, too. They tend to scrub against the window now and then."

I just nodded slowly and took down a big swallow of my coke. "Yeah, that's what it sounded like," I said as I played with the rubbery cheese that had come out of my crust.

_**You lie. You know what that sounded like and it wasn't any tree branch.**_

__I sighed and finished my pizza quietly before telling Charlie that I was off to bed.

Once I got to my room I slipped on an old T-shirt and a pair of shorts, ready to turn in for the night.

I stepped to my window and peeped out one last time, but nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary so I turned back to my bed to pack my Biology book back inside my book bag.

I went to reach for it, but it wasn't there. I furrowed my brows as my eyes swept the room and they finally landed on the blue book sitting neatly closed on my computer desk.

Weird.

I was tired and I knew that my mind always functioned strangely when I was exhausted, but I knew for a fact that when I went down to have dinner with Charlie, that Biology book was sitting on my bed open and not on my computer desk.

Damn, Forks and all of its eerie greenery was making me nutty already.

**A/N: Things are starting to get strange and creepy, no?**

**Please Review! ~BlckSwnn~**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Here's Chapter 5!**

Chapter 5: 

The next day at school was, in one word, long. I didn't sleep well the night before because all I could think about was how my Biology book ended up moving form my bed to my computer desk when I knew for a fact that I didn't touch it before I had dinner with Charlie. And that noise at my window definitely had me freaked all night.

I kept my greeting to Edward brief and polite because I really didn't want to have to put my shoe up Tanya's butt. I avoided sitting with Jessica in study hall because she was only another link to Tanya that I really didn't need. I could sense that Jessica could have cared less about my absence seeing as she spent the entire hour making out with a blonde guy that I recognized from Calculus. The weird librarian was out so there was no one there to stop them. I took Alice up on her lunch invitation but realized a little too late that it was actually a bad idea.

It turned out that Edward was her brother and I could just feel Tanya's gaze burning in the back of my neck as I sat with them. If she didn't want me talking to him so badly, then why wouldn't she just come and sit with him to stake her claim. I was careful not to talk to Edward much without it seeming like I was being rude.

Alice's cousin Rosalie was an interesting character. She was tall blonde and gorgeous but she seemed to be as tough as half of Forks High's football team, but that could have something to do with the fact that she was dating the star quarterback, Emmett McCarty. I got in one hello to the two of them and then they went to munching on each other's faces.

Alice turned out to be a really nice girl and I could definitely see her and me being good friends. She was spunky, sweet and everything in between and her insane addiction to fashion was bordering on ridiculous, but she was the most sincere and charming person I'd met at Forks High besides her brother who had left lunch early for reasons unbeknownst to me.

The last half of my day was uneventful besides the fact that Mrs. Harrison AKA Mrs. Claus gave us a pop quiz and I was pleased to see the sour look on her face when she looked at my paper and realized that I had all of the answers right.

Thankfully when I went to my locker there were no signs of Tanya anywhere, but there _was_ an excited and bouncing Alice standing there waiting for me.

"You're starting to just pop up everywhere I turn, aren't you?" I joked as I slid my Biology book into place—thankfully Mrs. Claus didn't assign any homework.

"I swear to you Bella that I'm not some kind of crazy stalker, I just happen to know where your locker is because—" I cut her off.

"Because you work in the office," I finished. "I know Alice. I'm just messing with you. So what's up?"

"Well, Thanksgiving is Thursday and I know that it's just you and your dad and I've talked to my mom about it and I was wondering if you and your dad would be interested in joining us for dinner. I mean I know you and I don't really know each other all that well, but I have a feeling that we're going to be the best of friends and with everything that happened to you before you got here, I just wanted to make sure that you were welcomed properly and what could be a better welcome than Thanksgiving dinner? Please say yes!" she said as she clasped her hands together, pleading.

Gosh, did this girl ever breathe?

"Alice! Slow down and breathe, please."

"Will you come?" she asked again, bouncing on her toes even more.

"I'll talk to my dad about it today when I get home," I promised.

She squealed and clapped her small hands together. "This is going to be great! My mom is an amazing cook."

A thought suddenly occurred to me.

"Wait! What about Tanya?" I asked.

Alice quirked her eyebrows. "Tanya?"

"Yeah. Tanya Denali. Aren't her and you brother dating?"

"No, where did you hear that?" she asked.

"She said so yesterday when I ran into her after school," I explained, getting even more confused.

Alice sighed angrily. "I swear, that girl…" she trailed off shaking her head. "I never did see what Edward saw in her."

"What is it?"

"Edward and Tanya dated briefly a little over a year ago and Edward ended it and Tanya just never let go. Personally, I think she belongs in the looney bin, because she calls him all of the time, she's always showing up to our house uninvited and Edward is too much of a gentleman to just tell her to fuck off."

I bucked my eyes at Alice's choice of language.

"What?" she asked defensively. "It's the truth. I'm telling you the girl is a grade A bitch that refuses to get a clue and she thinks she can run over absolutely everyone in the school and I'm really glad you told he off. I've wanted to do that for so long, but I won't because Edward won't allow it," she grumbled.

"Why is that?" I asked.

"Because he thinks it would only make the situation worse because she's crazy enough as it is. I kind of don't blame him, but I t

I chuckled. "Alice, I think you're right, we are going to be good friends."

"See, I knew you would see it too. Well I rode to school with Edward and he hates to be kept waiting so I have to go, but don't forget to talk to your dad, okay?"

"I won't Alice."

"Call me as soon as he gives you an answer. I'll see you tomorrow," she said as turned and left.

I put the rest of my books away and grabbed my keys from inside of my book bag and headed outside to my truck. I was just opening the driver's side door when I heard a shrill noise coming from the direction of the forest that bordered the back end of the parking lot.

My truck was just about the last vehicle in the parking lot besides two others I didn't really recognize, but I seemed to be alone in the lot.

I figured my ears were just playing tricks on me so I started to get into the truck. This time I was just about to close the door when I heard it again, only louder this time and this time I could hear clearly what it was. It was someone screaming. I halted and listened for it again.

The scream rang out again and this time it sent a chill up my spine because it was a sound of agony and I couldn't help but wonder what was the cause of such a terrible noise.

I looked around the parking lot and saw the other two vehicles still in their spots untouched. I slid off of the driver's seat and out of the truck.

I decided to leave my truck door open and my book bag on the ground just in case. If lost my way in the woods and couldn't find my way back to the lot whoever was left in the school would see my door open and my bag and hopefully think to come look for me.

I turned and headed towards the woods. I was halfway across the lot when I heard the scream again but this time it was accompanied by a loud, shrill 'Help!'

I briefly thought about just going back to the main school building to find someone who could help, but the shrill scream broke out again and I quickened my pace.

I halted when I made it to the very edge of the forest and waited for the sound again.

_Turn around, stupid! Just be a smart girl and go back to your car and go home! You know nothing about these woods; for all you know they could be filled with wild animals just waiting to tear you limb from limb! Go back!_

As pesky as that inner voice of mine could be, she had a point. I knew nothing about the dark, dense forests of Forks and anything could be in there waiting for me. But what about whoever was screaming? Someone had to help them. What if they were being killed? Would I be able to live with myself if someone got killed and I knew that there was something I could have done about it?

"Help! Somebody please help me! Please!" The voice rang out again.

I made my decision. Whoever it was didn't sound like they were too deep in the woods. In fact, they sounded pretty close. If I ran fast enough I could quickly find them and call for help. I checked my coat pocket to make sure my cell was still there. When I felt it, I took one fleeting glance back at the school and the parking lot and broke into a run.

As I ran, the screaming continued and as the screaming got louder and louder I wondered what could be making someone scream that way. That one thought stopped me cold.

Sure I could find whoever was screaming and call for help, but what else would I find. Something had to be causing whoever it was to produce the blood curdling screams. What if it was some rapid forest creature? What if it was some kind of deranged killer? What had I gotten myself into?

I was suddenly not so sure of my choice to jump the gun and come running into the dark forest on my own. Maybe I should have just gone for help first. I turned around hoping that I could still see the parking lot and easily find my way out, but I had no such luck. There were trees every direction I turned.

Had I really gone that far into the woods?

I stood in one spot and waited for the scream again.

"Help me!"

Now that I was getting—hopefully—closer to the source of the screaming I could tell that the voice sounded like a boy. Maybe around the age of six or seven.

"Hello?" I yelled out stupidly. Now I had to hope that whatever was torturing the boy wouldn't come looking for me. "Is anybody there? Hello?"

I waited—completely still—for some kind of answer, but there was nothing, not even a rustle from the passing breeze.

I tried again. "Hello? Is someone out there?" Nothing.

It was dead quiet. A strong, cold breeze whipped past me and I pulled my hood up and drew my coat tighter around me. There was a low rumble of thunder in the distance and the sky was turning dark with gray clouds very quickly and I knew that it would only be a matter of time before those clouds broke open. I had to find a way out of here—fast. I figured that I was too late to try and save the boy, but if I found my way out of here, I could at least tell Charlie about what I heard.

I reached in my pocket and pulled out my cell. Maybe I could just call him now. I mean sure he'd have my ass when he found out that I had wandered in the woods alone, but I'd rather risk getting grounded than risk being lost in the woods all night.

I found his name in my phonebook and hit call, but a service message popped up on the screen informing that I had a weak phone signal and that my call could not be completed.

"Dammit!" I grumbled in frustration. I tried again three more times only to get the same results.

The thunder rumbled louder the second time and the wind had picked up. Surely whoever were in those two other cars in the parking lot had come out and seen the open door on the truck and my book bag lying on the ground. That thought brought me a little comfort, but not much.

I started walking, hoping that I was going in the right direction, because it was getting dark and the trees surrounding me were looking creepier. I searched for something that might look familiar, but I realized that I wasn't really paying attention to my surroundings when I first ran into the forest, so that was a lost cause.

I stopped and reached into my pocket for my phone again. I checked to see if I had gained a signal, but I had no luck. It seemed that I was still stuck in a dead zone.

I put my phone back in my pocket and started to continue forward when a chill crept across the back of my neck and made the hairs there stand on end. It almost felt as if someone was watching me and I didn't like that feeling at all.

The creepy feeling urged me forward, but just as I was about to take a step I heard a rustle and a twig snap somewhere behind me. My palms started to sweat and my heart started to pound rapidly. I didn't make one move as I waited to see if I could hear the sound again. When I heard the rustling again I didn't even think twice. I sprinted forward and tried my best to dodge every tree that I could as I ran. I tried not to notice that the sound of leaves rustling continued on behind me. I tried to ignore the fact that I knew it wasn't the wind and that the rustling noises sounded more like someone running behind me. I also tried to ignore the fact that I faintly heard water in the distance because that could only mean that I had gone even deeper into the forest than I had planned and it also meant that I was coming to a dead end.

I pushed my legs as fast as they would go, but I still knew that it wouldn't do me any good. Whoever was behind me would catch me because I knew I had to stop sooner or later.

I'd gotten farther into the forest now and the thick trees and the dark gray sky had made any light I had disappear and I could just barely see in front of my face.

The rapid footsteps behind me continued, as did I. I wanted to turn around to see if I could get a look at who was chasing me but I was too terrified to do so. The clouds chose that moment to break open. It had to have been raining furiously because I was getting soaked even under the dense shelter of the trees.

It was getting more difficult to see where I was going so that was probably why I didn't see the rock jutting up from the ground. The tip of my shoe caught the edge of the rock and I as I fell to the ground I searched frantically for something to hold on to. If I fell then I would be caught and I didn't want that. But my hands couldn't find purchase on anything. I toppled to the ground and my head collided with a thick, hard tree root. A searing pain shot through my temple and before I knew what was happening, everything turned black.

There was a ringing in my ear and my head felt like it had been split open. I tried to move my neck and groaned.

"Bella? Bells?"

Charlie?

I cracked my eyes open only to shut them again immediately. The bright light made my head feel like it was being stabbed by a million needles.

"Turn the light off," I heard someone say.

I could see the light get dim from behind my closed lids.

"Can you open your eyes?" the voice said again.

I opened them slightly and was relieved when the pain didn't flood my head again. I expected to see Charlie leaning over me, but instead I was met with striking blue eyes instead of brown and light blonde hair instead of the gray-ish brown strands that I knew to be on Charlie's head.

"Isabella? I'm Dr. Carlisle Cullen."

"Where's Charlie?" I croaked.

"I'm right here, baby," I heard him say and his face suddenly popped up next to the doctor's.

"Can I sit up?" I asked.

"I think it would be best if you stayed where you are for the time being." Dr. Cullen said. Cullen? Could this be Alice and Edward's dad?

I looked around and sighed when I realized that I was home in my bedroom tucked under my warm blankets.

"What happened?" I asked.

It was Charlie who answered me and I could hear the distress in his voice.

"I worked a little late today and when I got here you were nowhere to be found so I went to the school. Principal Greene and Mrs. Cope were luckily still there so I asked them if they'd seen you and when they said no I just automatically raced to the parking lot with the two of them hot on my trail. When I saw the truck with the door open without you in it and your bag on the ground I…" he trailed off and took a deep breath and I was beginning to remember going into the woods now.

"You have no idea the thoughts that were running through my mind. I immediately called for backup and I didn't waste anytime. Bella what on earth were you doing that far into the woods?"

I suddenly remembered my reason for rushing into the forest in the first place. "Oh my God, Dad! Did you find him?" I asked frantically thinking of the boy's screaming voice.

"Find who, Bella?" Charlie asked, clearly confused.

"There was a boy, that's why I went into the woods. I was about to get in my truck and leave when I heard him screaming. He was screaming for help so I went looking for him. And when I couldn't find him I tried to find my way out, but then someone started chasing me and… I fell. Was there anybody in the woods besides me?"

Charlie and Dr. Cullen exchanged a fleeting look.

"Bells, there was no boy in the woods and we found you alone. You went pretty far out there. Almost to the river. But there was no one else in the woods Bella."

"No you're wrong. I heard a little boy screaming and there was someone chasing me." Why didn't they believe me?

"Isabella, I think you need to get some rest. You have a gash on you head and if you're lucky to not have suffered from hypothermia. You need a lot of rest and I'm signing a slip to excuse you from school tomorrow." Dr. Cullen explained in a calm demeanor. "As far as medicine goes, I've prescribed some pain killers for you head. Charlie will have them filled for you tomorrow. And I should get going. Charlie call me if you need anything."

"I will. Thanks Carlisle."

"Anytime. Isabella, it was pleasure meeting you, though I do wish that it were a meeting under better circumstances."

"It was nice to meet you, too," I said.

Charlie ushered Dr. Cullen to the door and before long he had returned to my room. I could tell that he had a million questions for me.

"Dad, I'm—" he cut my apology off.

"We'll talk about this tomorrow. You're tired and you need you rest. So I'll see you in the morning."

I nodded. "Good night Dad."

"'Night Kiddo." He closed the door softly behind him.

I curled up farther into my covers and tried to fight against my heavy lids. There was too much running around in my mind and I knew that if I went to sleep I would have really vivid nightmares. I couldn't fight it for long, though. Just because my mind didn't want to sleep didn't mean that my body agreed.

My eyes fluttered and I was drifting into unconsciousness before I knew it.

My last thoughts before I slipped completely under were of the screaming boy. I knew I heard the screaming clearly so why did Charlie insist that no one else was in the woods? But and even better question would be: who was chasing me in the woods?'

**A/N: Thank you for reading! Please Review! I'll update soon!**

**XOXO - BlckSwnn**


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Okay here's an update. Sorry it took soooo long. School has been holding me up. I was determined to update so I sat in one spot for four hours and wrote this chapter. I hope you enjoy it!

- BlckSwnn

Chapter 6

I am awoken the next morning by soft knocking at my bedroom door.

I turn over and glance at my clock. It's almost 10:30. I must have been more exhausted than I'd thought because I never sleep that late.

I groan and bury my head in my pillow.

"Bells?" I hear Charlie call from outside the door.

I clear the sleep from my throat and answer him. "Yeah, Dad?"

"You have a visitor," he replies.

"Visitor?" I mumble, wondering who could be visiting me at ten in the morning.

I jump up from my bed and run my fingers through my hair before going to open the door.

"Mornin' sleepy head," Charlie teases.

"Good morning. You said I have a visitor?" I ask.

"Yeah. Why don't you come on down, huh?"

"Okay, I'll be right there?"

I go back into my room and quickly make myself presentable before easing back out of my bedroom and making my way downstairs. When I reach the bottom of the stairs I peek into the living room and I am surprised to see Alice perched on the couch.

"Alice?"

She looks up at the sound of my voice and I make my way into the living room and sit beside her on the couch.

"Hi Bella," she greets jovially.

"What are you doing here, aren't you supposed to be in school?"

"We were let out early. I just wanted to stop by and check on you. Are you okay?"

I knew that she was referring to my getting-lost-in-the-woods incident. "I'm still a little shook up, but I'm fine."

"I was just worried when you didn't call last night and then my dad got a urgent call from Chief Swan and I just didn't know what to think. Anyway, my dad told me what happened when he got home last night after I practically had to beg him. What made you go into the woods Bella?"

"I heard someone scream and I thought I could help," I say, now realizing how dumb the idea had been.

"Why didn't you just go into the school and get help?" she asks as if that were the most obvious choice—it really was now that I really think about it.

"I don't know. It was just like something was pulling me towards the woods. I knew I had to see if I could do anything at all to help."

"You're a strange one Bella Swan, you know that?" she says seriously while looking at me like I've completely lost my mind.

I just shrug.

"Well, I'm just glad you're okay and that you weren't hurt," she expressed with genuine concern.

I briefly—only briefly—wonder if I should tell her about my stalker in the forest last night, but I decide against it. There is no need to freak her out any more that necessary. It's better to just keep it to myself.

"Well enough about that, let's talk about tomorrow," she chirps and the excited Alice reappears in full force.

I smack my palm against my forehead. "Oh my God, Alice I completely forgot to talk to Charlie about that."

To be honest I was too busy worrying about the nightmare I knew I would have to even think about asking my dad about Thanksgiving.

"No worries, dear. I talked to him when I first arrived and you will be very happy to know that he said yes."

"Really?"

"Yeah, he's all for it. Oh Bella, everyone is so excited; Mom, Dad… Edward," she said, sneaking the last name in.

"Edward?" I ask, completely taken by surprise. "Why would Edward be excited to see me?"

She just smiles and shakes her head, refusing to elaborate.

"Alice! Come on, you can't just drop a bomb like that on me and not give me any details," I whine.

"I promised Edward that I would not ruin anything, so I'm not."

I groan in frustration and she giggles at my child-like behavior.

Alice looks down at her watch and gets up. "I'm sorry, but I have to run. I promised my mom that I would ride into Seattle with her today to do some final shopping for tomorrow."

I get up and walk her to the door.

"I'll see you tomorrow," I call out to her as she walks down the sidewalk and to her car parked on the curb.

"Of course," she replies.

I start to shut the front door, but halt when Alice calls my name.

"Oh and Bella?"

"Yeah?"

"Be sure to wear something cute tomorrow," she says as she throws a wink in my direction.

I roll my eyes as she starts the engine and speeds off down the road.

I close and lock the front door and head into the kitchen in search for food. Charlie is sitting at the table with a mug of coffee and the morning paper. I grab the box of Trix from the cupboard and proceed to prepare me a giant bowl. I sit down at the table and chew a few bites quietly before speaking.

"So, Thanksgiving with the Cullens?"

Charlie lays down his paper and clears his throat before speaking. "Yeah. I think that it's a great idea, actually. I probably would have ended up going to the diner. It's good that we'll be having dinner with the Cullens."

"Have you known them long?"

He nods. "Almost as long as I've been here myself. Carlisle and I grew up going to school together. Esme, his wife, came to town when we were in middle school; she was good friends with your mother, actually."

I perk up and this new little tidbit of information. "Really?"

"Oh yeah. Esme and Renee were crazy about each other. They did just about everything together. Your mother popped you out at the exact same time Esme gave birth to Alice."

Me and Alice sharing the same birthday? Weird.

"Cool," I say with a small smile on my face.

Charlie is quiet for a few minutes and I just know what topic is about to come up.

"Esme was pretty torn up about the news of your mother. Esme only got to know you as a baby and I just know that she's going to fall completely in love with you," he says. I'm shocked by the amount of emotion that is present in this conversation Charlie is normally the type to cringe at all things sentimental so this is weird to witness.

"Why did mom leave in the first place?" I ask. I know basically the gist of it, but I suddenly want to know more.

"Typical problems for a couple of our age at the time. We were too young and we didn't really know how to handle things. We rushed into our marriage and it lasted all of one year before everything just fell apart. You're mother finally realized that she didn't want to be here with me, so she packed the both of you up, said goodbye to Esme and was on her way. That was rough patch in my life—I don't like thinking about it much," he explains.

I nod. "So that's what happened? You didn't even try to work it out?" I ask. The mother I knew was a hopeless romantic and the way she would describe to me how in love she and Charlie were makes it hard for me to accept the fact that she would just walk away.

"Some things just can't be fixed, Bells," he says with a sigh. A look flashes across his face, something akin to guilt, maybe. It's gone before I can decide what it is.

"Dad, is there something that you're not telling me? I feel like I'm not getting the full story. I don't think mom would have just left like that, she had far too gentle of a heart."

"Well, she did. That's just the way it is."

Before I can say anything else he looks up at the clock and stands up. "I need to get some yard work done while it's still early—get that branch down before it ends up driving us crazy," he says with a chuckle. Something about his careless demeanor seems a little forced, but I don't call him on it.

Charlie disappears out the back door and I look down at my soggy bowl of Trix before dumping them and heading upstairs to get ready for the day.

I take a gloriously long, hot shower before pulling on a pair of sweats and a tee. I hear the buzz of a chainsaw outside and I head into the kitchen and grab the keys to the truck. I leave Charlie a note letting him know that I am heading to the grocery store.

I decided while I was in the shower that I would make a dessert to take to the Cullen's tomorrow. My mother always loved my peanut butter swirl chocolate cake so I decided I would make that.

While I peruse the aisles of the tiny supermarket of Forks I can't stop thinking about Edward. Surely Alice was mistaken when she told me that Edward is excited to see me tomorrow night. I mean, it's Edward. Gorgeous and smart and way out of my league. But it is nice to think of the possibility that Edward may possibly like me even though I know that's certainly not the case.

It takes me longer than necessary to find all of the ingredients only because the store is completely packed with people getting last minute Thanksgiving items. Once I have everything paid for I go back to the truck and place my bags on the passenger seat. Just as I'm about to get in myself I hear my name being called. When I turn I am met with a familiar pair of green eyes paired with gorgeous smile to match.

"Edward!" I greet him as he makes his way over to my truck.

"I thought I'd never find you," he says as he stops to catch his breath.

"You were looking for me?" I ask.

"Yeah, I actually went to your house first and the chief told me you were here… I gotta tell you that I've been down every aisle in that store. I think that's the most I've ever seen of that grocery store." He chuckles and for a moment I am completely mesmerized by the sound and the way his eyes sparkle.

"Um, so what do you need?" I ask, breaking out of my trance.

"I feel kind of embarrassed asking you this, but my mom insists that Alice and I make a dish this Thanksgiving and I need to find something simple and something that can't be completely ruined. I'm a terrible cook and I was just wondering if you would help me," he says it with this pleading-like look in his face and I absolutely can't say no.

"Sure. What did you have in mind?"

"I have no clue."

I chuckle. "How about macaroni and cheese?" I say, suggesting something simple and enjoyable.

"Sounds like a plan."

"Do you need to get any ingredients from the store or do you have everything at home?"

"I think my mom has just about covered every possible ingredient for Thanksgiving dinner for the next five years," he jokes.

"Okay, well just let me take these bags home and I'll follow you to your place."

"Okay. Thank you so much Bella. You're a life saver."

I chuckle. "Hardly, but I'm glad I can help."

Like the gentleman he is, Edward carries all of the grocery bags into the house for me. We decide to just ride to his house in his car so that Charlie can have the truck in case he needs it. Charlie eyes Edward suspiciously as he walks out the front door. I'm just about to follow him when Charlie stops me.

"I'll be right there," I say to Edward as I walk back into the living room.

"Where are you headed?"

"Edward wants me to help with a dish for dinner tomorrow. Esme is insisting that he and Alice make something and he asked me for help. Is that a problem?" I ask.

"Will there be someone at the house besides the two of you?"

"Seriously Dad? Are you really going there?" I ask, only half joking.

"I'm just curious. I trust you, kid and I've known Edward since he was a little tyke, but just be careful, you know—", I immediately cut him off.

"Oh my God, Dad! We are not having this conversation right now, besides Edward doesn't like me that way. He just asked for help making macaroni and cheese and I agreed. Nothing's going on."

"Okay, I trust you. Go on, I'll see you later."

"I'll be back later," I say as I rush out the door.

Edward is diligently waiting in his car. I get in and buckle my seat belt, very aware that my face is on fire and is probably the color of a tomato.

"Are you okay?" Edward asks.

"Yeah," I squeak out. "You know dads will be dads," I explain lamely, trying my best not to slip up and clue him on exactly what Charlie was concerned about.

"Okay," he says without asking any question and we're on our way.

I'm entirely awestruck by the Cullen home. To say that it's huge would be a gross understatement. You could fit Charlie's house in theirs maybe three times and still have room left over. The entire front face of the house is brick—deep red brick and it oddly reminds me of blood. A wide white porch with massive white pillars stretches across the entire front side of the house and from what I can see it looks like it continues around the rest of the house. The house is three stories high with a three-car garage. A wide lawn stretches out in front of the house and even though the grass is brown due to the harsh winter temperatures I can picture a lush green lawn in the springtime. The entire house is timeless, yet it still has a modern feel to it.

"Wow! This is freaking huge!" I blurt out without thinking.

Edward chuckles at my outburst.

"Sorry, but it's really lovely. I don't think I've ever seen a house so beautiful."

"It's all my mother's work. She's big on design. Houses are her favorite. Just wait until you see the inside."

He gets out of the car and just as soon as I unbuckle my seat belt and reach for the handle, Edward is opening it himself. I blush furiously as I get out the car.

"Thank you."

We walk up the wide stairs leading up to porch. "Does this porch rap around the entire house," I ask as I look to my right and see the porch disappear around the east side of the house.

"Yeah. I'll give you a full tour once we're done," he says with a playful smirk and I briefly wonder if his bedroom will be on the list. I look away from him quickly, scared that he might be able to know what I'm thinking just by looking at the blush on my face.

I am blown away by interior of the Cullen home. It's all sleek and modern, but it has the warm feeling of home to it. A spacious living room sits to the right and wide staircase to the left.

"This way." Edward leads me into the living room. Just inside the large room a wide entrance sits to the left. A short hallway is on the other side of the entrance to the left I can make out a dining room and to the right I can see stainless steel kitchen appliances. Edward leads me into the kitchen and I'm instantly in heaven. Anybody who loves to cook would absolutely die over this kitchen, myself included.

"Is there any chance that I could live in your kitchen?" I ask as I run my hands along the stove.

Edward laughs. "That's something you would have to take up with my mom. Let's get started, shall we?"

Edward points me to the huge walk-in cupboard and I set about finding all of the ingredients we'll need. I can't deny the fuzzy feeling in my stomach as Edward and I make the large dish of macaroni and cheese together. He is absolutely hopeless when it comes to cooking, but I can't get over how adorable it is at the same time. He almost let's the pasta shells boil too long, but I save them just in time. It's hilarious when dumps hot, melted cheese all over him and starts jumping around the kitchen like a kangaroo. Two blisters and another batch of melted cheese later, the macaroni is ready to go into the oven. I do the honors just in case Edward decides he wants to fall face first into the oven.

Once the dish is in the oven and the mess is cleaned up Edward treats his mild burns and offers me the tour he promised. I try to keep my mind clear of his bedroom as he leads me up the stairs.

He opens up the first door and I look inside the room. I don't even have to ask; I know that it belongs to Alice. Everything from the large sleigh bed to the well-dressed mannequin just screams her name. Edward shows me the massive Cullen library and I love it almost as much as I love the kitchen. We cover Dr. Cullen's office and the attic complete with a skylight before he leads me to the last door on the last floor of the house.

Oh God! Please don't let me do something stupid like jump on his bed and start to make bedroom eyes at him like a crazy person.

"My room," he says.

"Hmm, saving the best for last," I say and immediately slap my hand over my mouth.

_I did NOT just say that!_

"Oh God! That didn't come out right."

"It's okay." He laughs, but something about it seems strange.

I slowly walk in and admire the large room. My eyes won't stop straying from the large four-poster bed.

_Get a hold of yourself, Bella!_

There is a huge bookshelf filled with leather bound books, a large sectional brown leather couch and an entertainment system filled with movies and video games. The neutral brown and beige color scheme of the bedroom makes it feel warm and inviting, much like the rest of the house.

As I'm perusing the many titles on his bookshelf I notice a picture sitting on the table beside his bed. There are three people in the picture. A man and a woman who look to be in their early twenties and a small boy with bronze colored hair and green eyes—Edward. I look back at the adults in the picture and notice that the man is the spitting image of Edward.

"Those are my parents," Edward says, startling me. He's right behind me and I didn't even hear him approach.

"Your parents?" I ask. "But I thought that Esme and Dr. Cullen—"

"Esme is actually my aunt. I've been with her since I was about six," Edward explains.

"What happened to your parents?" I ask, looking at the green eyes of the woman in the picture.

"Some asshole decided to rob a supermarket with everyone held at gunpoint and my parents were just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"I'm sorry," I say. It's easy to empathize with him because I, too know how it feels to lose a parent.

"It's okay. Esme is just like a mother to me and Carlisle sort of reminds me of my father—what little of him I can remember, that is. And I'm glad I can call Alice my sister."

"She's a bit extreme, isn't she?"

He chuckles. "It's all a part of her charm."

"So what's the deal with you and Tanya?" I ask. I don't know what makes mw say it, but I suddenly realize that I really want to know.

"Yeah, Alice told me that she's been bothering you. Don't worry about Tanya. She'll get over the fact that it's over between us soon enough because there's no chance of me getting back with her now anyway," he says as he gives me an intense look.

"And why is that?" I ask as calmly as possible even though my heart is racing.

"Since I first saw you sitting alone in the hallway Monday morning you are all I've been able to think about Bella. I'm sure Alice ran her big mouth to you this morning about how much I'm looking forward to tomorrow."

"She might have mentioned it," I say with a smile.

"I figured. But I'm serious Bella I like you a lot."

"Okay, what's the catch?" I ask.

He furrows his eyebrows in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, you can't really like me."

"Why not?" He's genuinely confused.

"Well… because you're like perfectly gorgeous and perfect and I'm…" I trail of not needing to state the obvious.

"You're beautiful Bella," he says and the way he says it makes me believe it.

His green eyes bore into mine and the moment is becoming so intense that I can barely breathe. I can feel his warm breath on my face and I realize how much I want him to kiss me. In fact, I'm practically begging him with my eyes to do it. His lips brush against mine and electricity shoots throughout my entire body. I can feel him about to dive in, but as soon as our lips start to press together a high pitched ringing sound coming from downstairs.

I sigh and pull away and I can almost hear him groan. "We should check the food."

"Yeah."

I follow him back downstairs and take the macaroni out of the oven.

"When it cools just put it the fridge and tomorrow about an hour before dinner pre-heat the oven to about 350 and put it in for twenty minutes and take it out and will be as fresh as it is now, okay?"

He nods. "Thank you again for doing this for me."

"No problem. Hey, it's still pretty early do you want to stay and watch a movie or something?"

"Um… okay, why not?"

"Great. I'll go get the movie and you can help yourself to a snack or something to drink if you want."

"Okay."

I grab two sodas from the fridge and wait for him to come back. Once he reappears he leads me to a door past the living room and down a flight of stairs. Once he turns the light on I realize that it's den—a very huge den with a mini movie theatre.

"Wow! I'm officially ready to pack up my stuff and move here."

"I don't think that would be such a bad thing," he says with a wink and I just about fall over from the hotness of it. "How about that movie?"

By the time the movie is over it's almost four and I realize that I have to start on my cake.

"Do you need to go?" Edward asks. He must have seen me look at my watch.

"Yeah. I have to start on my dish for tomorrow."

"Well, I guess I should get you back."

The ride back to my house is silent but not awkward I think we're both thinking about the almost kiss between us. When we pull up into my driveway I notice that Charlie's truck is gone.

"So, I had a good time today," Edward says.

"Yeah, me too. I thoroughly enjoyed watching you bounce around the kitchen after scalding yourself with hot cheese."

He chuckles. "I meant what I said about liking you Bella. If you're up to it I'd really like to have a meal with you outside of Thanksgiving dinner."

"Okay. I think I'd like that. Alice has my number," I inform him.

"I'll call you later."

"Okay." I lean over to give him a kiss on the cheek and he surprises me by grabbing my face and planting his lips against mine. I melt into him and wrap my arms around his neck as best as I can with the center console in the way. His mouth explores mine erotically, but gently. I feel his tongue brush against my lower lip and I eagerly invite him in. I'd kissed guys before, but this is like anything I've ever experienced before. My heart is pounding and my head is only filled with the scent of him. When he pulls away it takes me more than just a moment to catch my breath.

"Well, I wasn't intending to do that, but I just couldn't help myself,' Edward says with a smile.

"I'm glad you did. That was, by far, the best kiss I've ever experienced."

"I'm glad to hear that."

"So, I'll see you tomorrow." I really don't want to get out of the car.

"Okay, see you."

"Bye."

He stays in the driveway until I'm in the house and I watch him drive away. The house is creepily quiet without the sounds of a baseball game being played on the TV. I go into the kitchen to get started on my cake until Charlie gets home and I decide to start on dinner as well. I decide to do something light since we'd be eating a big Thanksgiving dinner in less than 24 hours.

I'm done mixing up the spaghetti sauce and I'm just about to start on my frosting for the cake when I hear a noise coming from the direction of the back door.

Dammit! Why does the creepy stuff have to happen to me when I'm home alone?

I grab the knife I used to cut open the cake mix and make my way to the door. Thank God the sun is still shining a little—as bright as it could considering that this is Forks. If it wasn't I wouldn't have the guts to do this alone. I slowly twist the knob on the door and swing it open. I am met with Charlie's fishing boat and a wall of forest. I don't any further than the edge of the stairs; I'd more than learned my lesson about going into forests alone.

"Hello?" I call out. "Is somebody out here?"

I wait, but hear nothing. A loud thud come from above my head and I realize that it's coming from inside the house—upstairs.

I close the door and lock it tightly before running upstairs. I don't even stop to realize that running with a knife in my hand is about the most dumbest and dangerous thing that I could do, but I'm too busy trying to stupidly chase the source of a weird sound in an empty house.

"Dad? Charlie?" I call out, but get no answer. I throw open the door to his bedroom, but it's empty. I do the same with the bathroom and I'm met with nothing again. That leaves only my room. I slowly ease my way over to my bedroom door across the hall. I'm terribly close to dropping the knife because my hands are so slick with sweat.

"Is anybody in there?" I take a deep breath before gripping the doorknob and flinging the door open.

I'm prepared to start stabbing like my life depended on it—which it kind of does, but all I am met with is my empty bedroom. The only light is coming from the window, which is wide open, the dark blue curtains blowing in the breeze.

A/N: So what did you think? Not much happened, I know, but I did give you a little treat in the form of our beloved Edward and Bella. I almost made you wait for the kiss until the next chapter, but I decided to be nice. I threw in that last part because what's a chapter without a little suspense? So, who do you think was in Bella's room? Coming up: Thanksgiving with the Cullens…

-BlckSwnn


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **Another Update! Yay! Enjoy!

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><p><strong>Chapter 7:<strong>

There's a knock on my bedroom door.

"Bells aren't you ready yet?" Charlie calls out from the other side.

"Almost! Give me ten more minutes."

"Well, it's 3:30 you better hurry."

"You're only slowing me down, Dad! I'll be down in ten minutes!"

I hear his retreating footsteps and I turn back to the mirror. I have tried on eight different outfits and I'm seriously ready to give up and forfeit this whole Thanksgiving dinner altogether.

My current ensemble consists of a knee-length black skirt paired with a sparkly navy blue scoop-necked top. I turn in five different directions to admire the outfit in the mirror and I sigh. I'm not too fond of this one either.

My eyes keep going back to the closet.

_Just take the dress out and put it on, Bella!_

I've been arguing with myself about that dress and whether or not I should put it on since I woke up this morning—at five a.m.

Yeah, I probably got exactly four hours of sleep last night. I would not be surprised at all if I fell face first into a plate of mashed potatoes and gravy at dinner tonight due to my lack of sleep the night before. I don't feel tired at all, though. Maybe because my nerves are keeping me from thinking about sleep at all. All I can think about is the fact that in less than an hour I'll be sitting at the same table as Edward Cullen having Thanksgiving dinner with his family.

"Bella!" Charlie yells from downstairs. I am pulled away from my thoughts and I glance quickly over at the clock on my bedside table.

3:50! We're supposed to be at the Cullen's at four. I have wasted a whole two hours in the mirror deciding on an outfit that I'm only going to he wearing for three hours at least. No, that wasn't exactly how I felt about it— I have wasted an entire two hours trying to find the perfect outfit to impress Edward with.

I sprint quickly to the closet and pull out the dress that I've only worn once. The one that was the color of rich eggplant and complimented my soft frame perfectly—the dress that I wore in Mom and Phil's wedding. I've been avoiding it because I don't exactly know what kind of emotions it will bring out of me. But as I slip the soft, silky dress over my head a feeling of pure comfort washes over me. The fabric of the dress is extremely warm, almost as if it were worn recently instead of a year ago. In fact, it feels almost as if I am being wrapped up in y mother's arms. It's like she's there with me, giving me comfort and taking away all the anxiety that I am feeling due to this dinner. It makes me feel safe and confident.

I smile at myself in the mirror as I run my hands over the delicate flowery ruffles adorning the full skirt of the dress. The skirt falls just above my calves and the straps dip into a graceful boat-neck neckline. I quickly pull the sponge rollers from my hair and run my fingers through it to create bold yet subtle layers of waves. After a quick application of blush, mascara and lip-loss I slip on my black ballerina flats and rush downstairs.

Charlie is sitting in the recliner in front of the TV and his head shoots up when I skid to a halt in front of him.

"Jesus Bells, what took you so long?" he asks as he flips the TV off and stands up.

"I had to make sure that I looked okay." I don't know why I was explaining this to a man. He would never understand.

Charlie eyes me suspiciously. "Is this about Edward?"

I feel my eyes bulge considerably. "What are you talking about Dad?" I asked innocently. Just when I thought my dad of all people wouldn't notice me trying to dress up for a guy, he goes and does the unthinkable. He notices!

"I may be guy and I may be your dad, but I notice things, you know."

I blush. "Can we go now? We're already late."

Charlie laughs at my flustered state.

I grab my cake from the kitchen table and we head for the door. When Charlie starts the truck my palm instantly begin to sweat and I wipe them on my dress.

"Calm down Bells. It's going to be fine."

"Yeah easy for you to say," I mumble.

He laughs again and we take off towards the Cullen home.

* * *

><p>Charlie rubs at his extended waistline and sighs contentedly.<p>

"Well, that was awesome," he gushes. "Bells, that cake was swell, and Esme you really put your foot in that turkey."

I want to dive under the table face first and hide. When it comes to Charlie, food is almost as intoxicating as alcohol. Once he's had his fill, there is no stopping his mouth.

"Thank you Charlie. It was an absolute pleasure having you and Bella over for dinner," Esme replies sweetly.

Esme has been something else completely. She is the most warm and giving person that I've ever had the pleasure of knowing—besides my mother of course.

I really thought that we would have to cancel dinner completely when we first arrived. Her initial reaction to me was overwhelming to say the least. I knew that Renee and Esme had been close before Renee left for Colorado. I remembered Charlie's story of how distraught Esme had been at the news of my mother's death.

The minute Esme laid eyes on me, she fell apart into a mess of hysterical sobs. It took Dr. Cullen about 10 minutes to calm her down, and after she composed herself she wrapped me in the most affectionate hug. She was warm and smelled of apples and cinnamon and she reminded me of Renee. I almost lost it myself, but I managed to contain my emotions—barely. That one hug was all the welcome I needed. I knew then that Esme would love me like I was one of her own. That realization alone made the gap in my chest that my mother left behind when she died ache a little less. I helped with the finishing touches on dinner and Esme clued me in that she knew that I had helped Edward with the macaroni dish. I could only laugh and I wondered whether or not Edward knew how busted he was. Esme didn't seem to mind though. I think she knew that her son and I were crushing on each other. She even went as far as seating us beside each other at the dinner table. That was bit awkward. Esme's eyes kept falling on the two of us, as if she expected Edward and I to start making out right in the middle of Thanksgiving dinner. Somehow I don't think she would have minded if we did.

Alice just had a grin on her face that was so big it threatened to split her head in half. She totally praised my dress by the way.

Carlisle was constantly watching his wife so, if by any chance she lost it and started sobbing again, he could whisk her away and make it better.

Edward had sat next to me fidgeting with everything in front of him. It was actually really cute how nervous he was.

Charlie was oblivious to it all; he had a plate full of delicious food in front of him, and the house could have been on fire and he wouldn't have even noticed.

All in all, dinner was quite interesting.

Now, here we sit with full stomachs. That meal really was awesome.

"Hey Charlie, what do you say you and I go catch up on the game huh?" Carlisle suggests.

"Hey, I thought you would never ask," Charlie replies eagerly before standing. I noticed him slyly re-button his jeans.

They both disappear from the dining room talking football and my girlie ears tune them out quite effectively.

"Well, I'll go start on the dishes," Esme announces.

"I'll help," I say, immediately jumping to my feet. Esme is quick to stop me.

"Oh, nonsense! You're the guest don't worry about it. Alice grab a few plates and follow me dear."

Alice looks like she is ready to protest, but then she gets a look on her face and happily starts plucking plates from the table. And then they are gone, leaving Edward and I alone in the quiet dining room. This was their plan all along, I bet. Now I know where Alice gets her sneakiness.

Edward is the first to speak. "So that cake was awesome."

"I'm glad you liked it," I reply softly.

_**Really? All you can talk about is food? You two practically jumped each other's bones last night!**_

My inner voice is really starting to get a mind of her own. I wouldn't be surprised if she actually began speaking for me.

"You mom is really nice," I say.

"Yeah, she's always been that way. She's a softie. Ever since my real mother died Esme has been very…fragile."

"I could tell."

"You know I never knew how close Esme was to your mom until I saw how reacted when she saw you today. It scared me a bit," he admits.

"Yeah, it must be hard losing two people you love so much. She reminds me a lot of my mom, though. I can definitely see why they were friends."

"Hey do you want to go for a walk?" he asks abruptly.

"Sure, I'd love to."

"Great. I'll go grab my coat and meet you in the living room."

"Okay." I stand and watch him disappear around the corner and then make my way into the living room.

I can hear the game going from inside the Cullen's movie room. Charlie is screaming at the television, as usual whenever he watched sports. I chuckle and shake my head.

As I look around the grand living room, I notice what felt off about the entire house when we first arrived here. It is glaringly obvious in the quiet. Most families have their house filled to the brim with Christmas décor this time of year. The Cullen's home isn't exactly raking in the upcoming Christmas spirit. If I didn't know the time of year, I would surely expect that it was just another normal old day. In fact, now that I think of it, Charlie's house is lacking the holiday spirit as well. The whole town is. I am briefly taken back to my first day at Forks High School and how Mrs. Gray failed to mention the Christmas holidays that were fast-approaching. I thought nothing of it then, but now I am starting to get the feeling that it was avoided on purpose. But why? Maybe Edward knows. I'll make it a duty to ask him about it on our walk.

I hastily put on my coat and gloves and I am glad that I decided to wear stockings. Forks' cold weather is quite harsh. I am finishing the buttons on my coat when I feel him behind me. My pulse speeds noticeably.

"I meant to tell you how beautiful you look tonight. That dress looks wonderful on you," he rasps in my ear. I almost melt into the hardwood floors beneath my feet. I mentally demand my knees to stay strong until this walk is over with.

"Thank you." My voice shakes on the way out.

"I grabbed one of Alice's hats for you. It gets rough outside this time of night."

I smile and pluck the furry contraption from his hands—_only Alice_, I think with a smile. Edward opens the door.

"After you, Milady," he says with a flirtatious smirk on his face.

The cold air isn't too bad, but my stockings only protect my legs to a e certain extent. Edward leads the way to his car.

"I thought we were going for a walk?" I questioned.

"In this weather? Nah, I just needed a craftier way of saying, 'let's go get coffee.'

I furrow my eyebrows but laugh at his cuteness anyway. I'm actually glad that we're not walking. My legs would have turned into Popsicles instantly. Edward opens my door and makes sure I am securely in my seat belt before going to the driver's side.

We take off in the direction of town. By the time we get to the diner, I am so intoxicated by the heat that I don't want to get out of the car. Edward seems to notice my reluctance and he laughs. It is a low and throaty sound and it makes me want to jump over the center console and do things to him that I've never wanted to do to any guy before. I quickly open my door and the cold air washes the oncoming lust form my brain—barely. I jump out of the car and Edward quickly meets me.

The heat in the diner pales in comparison to the heat in Edward's car, but it does feel better than the cold outside so I don't complain.

We sit in a small booth in the back that is conveniently built for two. The waitress on duty comes to our table. The pad that she is writing on is concealing her face so all that I see is blonde hair.

"Happy Thanksgiving! What can I get for you tonight?" she asks, while still scribbling in her pad.

"Two large coffees, please," Edward requests without looking up.

The waitress stops what she's doing and looks from behind the pad slowly. A knot makes itself known right in the center of my stomach. Why is this happening to me?

"Edward?" she asks, shock clearly evident in her voice.

Edward looks up while I simultaneously try to make myself invisible. It isn't working.

"Tanya?" He seems to be just as shocked as she is. "I uh… I didn't realize that you worked here."

"Yeah. Can you believe that they have me in here on Thanksgiving? Luckily I get off in an hour." I can hear her silent invitation and I wonder if she doesn't see me sitting here or if she's just ignoring me.

Edward makes her aware of my presence. "_Two _large coffees, please?" His eyes dart in my direction.

Tanya turns her attention to me and her expression instantly sours. "Oh, I didn't notice you there Bella." She says my name like it's some type of curse.

"Hello Tanya," I reply. She grunts at me in disapproval and turns back to her pad.

"Two large coffees coming right up." She turns swiftly on her heel and twists away. I imagine that her wannabe runway strut is intended for Edward and I groan in disgust. Edward laughs.

"What?" I ask.

"Jealousy on Tanya is scary, but on you it's rather cute."

"Who says I'm jealous?" I ask. I _so _am.

"Please Bella. You looked like you were tempted to run behind and sweep-kag her," he chuckles.

"She's very rude. Maybe she needs someone to knock he on her face."

Edward lets out a guffaw and it echoes around the quiet diner.

"She's not going to try to poison my drink or anything, is she?"

This makes him laugh even louder.

"Edward, I'm serious!"

He calms down a bit before speaking. "Bella relax. She's not going to poison you. Tanya is a lot of things, but I don't think that 'killer' is on that list.

"I don't know, she seemed pretty annoyed with me just then."

"She'll get over it. She needs get over me and move on because I was over her a long time ago." He seems to be telling the truth. I relax into my seat a little.

My gaze drifts out the window. I notice that little white flurries are beginning to fall from the sky. It's snowing. I instantly feel at home, but the snow reminds me of my earlier observation.

"Edward?"

"Hmm?" He is looking intently at me and it makes me blush.

"I have a question."

"Ask away," he says, smiling.

I think for a moment of how I should ask it. I decide to gently allude to it. Maybe he'll catch my drift.

"I noticed something strange earlier. Maybe I'm just over-thinking things, but Forks seems to be pretty barren of holiday cheer at the moment."

I wait for him to catch on. He furrows his eyebrows in confusion for a moment, then like the flick of a light switch understanding dawns on him. Instantly after, his features darken.

"Oh. That." He says it with no emotion at all.

"Yeah, that. Maybe I'm wrong, but most towns are at least playing Christmas songs around this time of year, but I haven't even heard that." The country-western song playing over the speakers confirm this. "So what's the deal? Is this town like the weirdos that put up decorations on Christmas Eve or something like that?"

I expect him to laugh, but he doesn't. His lips are pressed into a tight, thin line.

"Edward?" I pick up on the vibe that something is not right. At all.

"Bella-" he starts, but he is interrupted by Tanya's voice.

"Two large coffees. Enjoy." She means: 'I hope you choke on them.' I can hear it in her voice.

"Tanya?" Edward says. The dark look is still on his face.

"Yes, Edward?" She sounds far too hopeful for my liking.

"I'm sorry to worry you, but could you grab us a couple of to-go cups?"

"Sure thing." She shoots a menacing look in my direction before taking off again.

"Edward is something wrong? Did I say something that offended you? I swear, I didn't mean anything by calling Forks weird, it's just that-"

"No," he says, cutting me off. "Can we talk about this when we get backing the car?" he pleads.

I only nod.

Tanya returns with the cups and a bill. She slams them both down in the table and trots off without a word.

Ugh! Bitch!

Edward slams a ten-dollar bill on the table and quickly pours his coffee into the paper cup. I follow suit. I grab a handful of sugar packets and behind Edward's hasty stride. He beats me to the car and has my door open before I am halfway there. Snow is still falling, but it doesn't seem to be sticking.

Once the car is running and a steady flow of heat is coming through the vents he backs up and takes off. I decide to stay quiet and let him talk when he is ready. He turns off on a dark back road and stops when we reach a desolate clearing surrounded only by trees. It's pitch black and the only light is coming from the controls on the dashboard.

Edward is quiet for a while before he finally speaks. His voice is low and grave.

"Bella Forks does not celebrate Christmas," he says resolutely.

"What?" I'm kind of speechless.

"The citizens of Forks, Washington do not celebrate Christmas," he says again like he is trying to explain a difficult math problem for the hundredth time.

"Edward that makes no sense. You can't just not celebrate Christmas. It… you just can't."

"Well that's the way it is around here. We don't even speak of it."

I am quiet for a moment, trying to soak in this information and try to make it make sense, but I fail. "Why?" It was the only thing I could ask.

"Bella, it's really… complicated and I don't think you would want to know why anyway."

"Why wouldn't I want to know? I live here now and I think I would want to know why I'm not celebrating Christmas Edward."

"I don't want to be the one to have to tell you that story."

"Why not? You're acting like it has something to do with me."

"It kind of does," he whispers.

"How is that even remotely possible?"

"I can't give you the answers you want without looking like I'm completely nuts."

"So you're not going to tell me?"

"I'm sorry. It's not my place. Just know that the reason we don't celebrate it is because a long time ago a lot of people were killed on Christmas. That's all I can tell you."

"So you guys stopped celebrating Christmas because some people were murdered? Newsflash Forks! That happens everywhere, more often than not. That's no reason to stop celebrating Christmas. And what do the killings have to do with me?"

"These murders happened _way_ before we were even born so I didn't have a say in this decision anyway and like I said, it's not my place to tell you this."

I have a feeling that this conversation is over with. I sigh and plat absently with the lid on my coffee cup.

"Whatever."

Edward sighs heavily. "You're not mad at me are you?" he asks.

I look over at him and his eyes are wide and pleading. It is really impossible to mad at a face like that.

"No I'm not mad. I'm just a little annoyed, but I'll be fine."

It's quiet for a moment until my phone rings, shattering the silence. Charlie's name blinks across the screen.

"Hey Dad," I answer.

Hey Bells, it's getting kind of late. Where are you?" he asks.

"I'm sorry. I went to get coffee with Edward. I just lost track of time.

I glance at the clock and notice that it is nine thirty.

"Listen, I'll just have Edward drop me at home, okay?"

"That's fine. Goodnight Bells."

"Goodnight, Dad."

Edward sighs next to me. "So I guess I have to be getting you home now."

"Yeah. It's getting late and Charlie will drive himself mad waiting up for me."

He starts the car without a word and the ride to my house is silent. So quiet that even the sound of a pin dropping would surely traumatize me. Charlie's truck is in the driveway and the kitchen light is on. Typical Charlie.

"Dinner was nice. Thank your parents again for inviting us."

"I'll do that."

"Thank you for the coffee."

"No problem Bella. I'm sorry again that I couldn't give you the answers you wanted."

"Don't worry about it Edward. It's no big deal."

"So, I guess I will see you in school on Monday?"

"Sure thing," I say with a smile.

Before I know it, he is leaning in to me. He presses his warm, soft lips to mine. I revel in the feeling and it leaves my head spinning. The kiss is sweet and short and I pull away with a grin.

I open the door. "Goodnight Edward."

"Goodnight Bella."

As I am starting to step out of the car Edward stops me.

"Bella?"

"Yes Edward?" I turn to look at him. His face is serious.

"Ask you father about it. If he doesn't tell you, then I promise I will."

"Okay."

I shut the door and walk swiftly up the walkway and to the front door.

Charlie is at the kitchen table with a mug in his hand. Dirty spy.

"I'm going to bed Dad," I call out and head for the stairs.

"Bells?"

"Yeah Dad?"

"Edward is a good kid, I know that for a fact. But I also know how the male mind works—I have one—so just warn him that if ends up hurting you in any way, he'll have to answer to me."

"I'm sure he knows that Dad," I say with a light laugh, though I am mildly annoyed.

"Goodnight sweetheart."

"Goodnight Daddy."

My eyes feel as heavy as cinder blocks and I am beyond tired all of a sudden. I am out of my dress in a matter of seconds and into my pajamas. My head hits the pillows and I absently run my tongue along my lips. They still taste of Edward. I smile and close my eyes.

That night I dream that I am in the forest behind Forks High again. I am being chased again. It seems like I am running forever. I finally stop when a fallen branch trips me. I hear my stalker close in on me and I look up to see the face of the person responsible for my nightmare lately.

I am so shocked by what I see that I wake up instantly, bolting upright in my bed.

It was my mother's face I saw.

I don't sleep for the rest of the night.

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><p><strong>Chapter end Notes:<strong>

**- **So a few questions were hopefully answered. I hope this was good and that you liked it.

What's causing Bella's subconscious mind to think that it was her mother chasing her in the woods?

Oh, and Tanya is SUCH a rude bitch, right?

Please let me know what you think!

_**-BlckSwnn….**_


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Hi there! So sorry for the super long delay. I've gotten a bit lazy, but I promise I won't make you wait as long for the next upload. So as a treat for making you wait so long, I've written a nice long chapter for you! It has plenty of juicy events that will surely leave you guessing after you're done reading. So... Read on!

- X.O. BlckSwnn

* * *

><p>Chapter 8:<p>

The remainder of my weekend was spent with me bent over my biology book. Since I was being forced to take the final, I might as well prepare for it to the best of my ability. At least that's the excuse I gave Charlie when he asked me why I was locked up in my room everyday, all day until dinner. The real reason was much more difficult.

The real reason behind my isolation and need to be caught up on all things biology was that creepy dream from Thanksgiving night. I still couldn't seem to get that image of my mother's face hovering over me out of my head. I still couldn't figure out why the menacing chaser in my dream turned out to be her. Was my mind screwed up or something? Maybe Edward's Christmas murder story had my brain functioning wrong. Maybe it had me confused. Made me believe that everything cheerful and comforting had some type of evil counterpart.

Even if it was true, I refused to believe it. Stress always did wonky things to my brain. And these past few weeks had been beyond stressful.

I read the same sentence for the fifth time before finally giving up and slamming the book shut. I decided to actually make a full dinner for me and Charlie tonight. I had been making sides to go along with leftovers from Thanksgiving and all of those left the night before.

As I was thawing out a pack of chicken breasts, I thought about how I should bring up the subject of the "Forks Christmas Nightmare" – as I now dubbed officially dubbed it—to Charlie.

He chose that exact moment that exact moment to walk in, talking about hi fishing trip with some of the guys from the station. I continued to quietly prepare dinner, still thinking of a way to bring it up. When the phone rang, loud and shrill, I figured I had lost my opportunity.

It was Charlie's old friend Billy Black on the phone. I vaguely remembered how close the two of them were from some of my earlier trips to Forks. I figured that this would be a long conversation so I put my questions to the very back of my mind to save for a later time.

About an hour and a half later, I was setting the table and calling Charlie into the kitchen for dinner. Dinner was quiet, which was quite normal. Charlie plus food equals no talking—sometimes I think it meant no breathing either, the way he inhales it all.

Sleep that night was thankfully peaceful. No vengeful looking mothers stalking me in me dreams, so I get an adequate amount of rest.

I was somehow still very tired when I woke up the next morning. Charlie had already left for work. I showered and dressed slowly.

Even though I knew I would be seeing Edward, I was reluctant to set foot on the campus of Forks. Partly because of what happened the week before and partly because I knew that everyone will have heard about it. I'd—no doubt—be the talk of the school today.

I gulped down a glass of orange juice and headed out.

When I pulled into the parking lot at school, I expected every head to turn in my direction, but what I actually saw chilled me to the core.

A portion of the forest that bordered the far back end of the parking lot—the forest that I got lost in the week before—was taped off with yellow tape that read: "Crime Scene" over and over. I wanted to turn around and go back home, but a much bigger part of me wanted to know what was going on.

I pulled into a random space and jumped out of the truck, leaving my books behind. A plethora of students were cluttered around the yellow tape and about three cops were futilely trying to urge them back into the parking lot. I noticed that one of those cops was Charlie. He made brief eye contact with me before speaking to a younger officer next to him. He quickly walked in my direction. Before he could get to me, Alice popped into my line of sight.

"Oh my God, Bella! I thought you had gone into the woods again!" she exclaimed. I knew she was trying to make a light joke, but I could hear the worry underneath.

"Alice, what happened?" I asked.

"Oh Bella! It's so terrible," she said with tears forming in her eyes.

Edward's face instantly came to my mind.

"Is Edward okay?" I asked.

"Oh yes! Edward is absolutely fine." She said with a knowing look on her face.

Even thought she was upset, she knew how crazy about her brother I was becoming.

"So what—" Charlie's gruff voice cut me off.

"I think the two of you should be heading inside."

"Dad what's going on?"

"We can talk about this later Bells," he said with a shake of his head.

"Is it bad? Was someone hurt?"

I heard Alice suck in a sharp breath in response to my question. So it was bad, I assumed.

"Bella get to class. We will talk about this later." His tone was full of finality. I'd only ever witnessed it once, but when Charlie went into full police-mode, he was as serious as a heart attack and equally as scary.

I turned back to the truck to grab my books before turning back to Alice and dragging her in the opposite direction. She knew what was going on and she would tell me.

"You girls have a good day in school," Charlie called out from behind us.

Alice and I made our way into the cafeteria. She grabbed a yogurt and a cereal bar, I only decided on an apple juice. The atmosphere in the lunchroom was drastically subdued. I hadn't been a student here long, but I could tell that this was abnormal behavior for such a large group of teenagers. Everyone seemed so depressed. Even Emmett who should have had a smile on his face, looked extremely somber.

When we got to the table I sat next to Edward. He immediately grabbed my hand and kissed my cheek softly. The feel of his lips on my skin sent shockwaves through my entire body and I suddenly wanted more that just a chaste kiss on the cheek. But I controlled my hormones; there were more serious matter at hand and I desperately wanted to know what was going on.

"Okay, I can't take this anymore. What happened? Why is everyone acting like someone died?" I asked. I hadn't meant for it to come out the way that it did, but my mouth worked faster than my brain when I was anxious or nervous about something.

Everyone went pale.

"Oh my God! Someone really died? Who?" I asked as quietly as possible.

Alice looked down at Edward and squeezed my hand. What were they hiding?

"Alice what is it?"

She didn't respond. I looked at Edward, but he was looking down at the table.

"Will someone please tell me what the hell is going on?"

It was Rosalie who eventually broke the silence. "Oh for God's sake, just tell her already!"

"Fine," I heard Alice say. "Just promise me you won't freak out okay?'

I nodded, but I was suddenly very nervous.

"Okay, so you know how last week you went into the woods and you got lost?"

I nodded stiffly.

"And you said something about you went in there because you thought you heard someone screaming?"

I didn't like where this was going.

"Well they actually did find someone out there."

"What?" I nearly shouted.

I gained a few sour looks from some of the kids in the cafeteria.

"Who was it?" I asked, though I really didn't want to know the answer.

Alice sighed before answering.

"It was Lauren Mallory's little brother."

My stomach felt like it had been punched with an iron fist. I instantly looked around the cafeteria, my eyes searching for Lauren, but I knew she wouldn't be here. I didn't say anything for what felt like ages. Edward's hand rubbing up and down my arm pulled me out of my daze.

"W-When did they… find him?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper.

"Uh Saturday, I think. I heard from my dad that he went missing the day you—well, you know."

"Does anyone know that I got lost in the woods that day?"

Alice's eyes darted around frantically. Oh God!

"Only a few people, but word spreads like wildfire around here."

"You don't think anyone thinks I had anything to do with this, do you?" I was beginning to panic, which was not good. I always got sick when I panicked.

"I-I really don't know," Alice said quietly.

I took a deep breath and felt Edward's arms go around me.

"Listen Bella, if anyone gives you a hard time about this, you let me know. Let us know," he said.

"Yeah, Bella. I've only known you for all of two days, but you're already growing on me," Emmett piped in. "I'll handle anyone who has anything to say to you."

I smiled. "Thank you Emmett. But still, why would anyone suspect me of anything? My dad and the entire Forks police force know why I went into the woods last week. I told them. I heard… Lauren's brother scream and I tried to find him. But then someone started chasing me. I know it. Maybe that's who…" I couldn't bring myself to say 'killed Lauren's brother'.

"So you never got a good look at who it was?" Rosalie asked.

"No." I shook my head slowly. Thinking about my chaser made me think about that awful dream where it ended up being my own mother terrorizing me in the woods. A chill ran over me.

"Do you have any idea whether or not it was a man or woman?" Edward asked.

"No, I don't," I sighed. "I have a headache. I need to get some air."

"I'll come with you," Edward offered, but I stopped him.

"No, I'll be fine. I just need to be alone right now, Okay?"

He nodded reluctantly.

"I'll see you guys in class."

As I walked out of the cafeteria I could feel every single eye on me, including the ones of my friends.

I made my ay out to the parking lot. Only a few police officers remained. Charlie was nowhere to be seen. I made my way to the truck and sat on the ground against the back tire of the passenger's side. Out of sight from the policemen and also any other prying eyes that may be watching from the school. I checked the time on my cell phone. There were twenty minutes left before class started and my mind was in overdrive mode.

All I seemed to be able to think about were the events that had taken place over the past few days. My incident in the woods, Edward's ghost story, my bizarre dream, and to top it all of: Lauren's brother being murdered in the same woods where I was chased down in. I didn't know why, but something in the back of my mind was trying to piece the event together. There was this nagging feeling in my gut that they were all connected somehow.

I could feel my head about to split under the pressure of all of my thoughts. I rifled though my bag looking for the packet of Advil I had thrown in there a few days before. I found them and quickly swallowed them down.

I just wanted to get in the truck and go home. I wanted to get in bed and bury myself under my covers and never come out. Everything was beginning to weigh down on me. I was still repressing the grief of my mother's death and now all of this. It was too much. I was exhausted. I just wanted to sleep… and that it exactly what I did.

_My eyes shot open to the sound of a loud scream. I was a bit disoriented upon first waking upon first waking up partly because when I had gone to sleep it was seven- thirty in the morning, but now my eyes were trying to adjust to darkness. It was pitch black outside and I was still sitting in the school parking lot up against Charlie's truck._

_It was unnaturally foggy and I could barely see more that four inches in front of my face, but I could tell that the parking lot was empty. The only light was coming from a lone street lamp in the middle of the lot. I jumped up and looked around wildly. I was definitely alone. I looked up at the school. It was completely dark. The building was an ominous black figure hovering in the fog. My eyes scanned the parking lot once more._

_I reached into my coat pocket for my cell phone to see what time it was. It was dead, which made no sense because I knew I had left it on charge the night before._

_I sighed. I was confused. Had I really slept out here all day? Why didn't anyone wake me? _

_Edward? Alice?_

_I was sure one of them had come looking for me when I didn't show up for class. I didn't dwell on it long, I had to get home. I knew Charlie had to be worried sick. _

_As I was climbing into the truck I heard again what must have awoken me in the first place._

_Someone was screaming. In the woods. The same woods where so much unexplainable things had happened in the past week._

_I considered simply climbing in the truck and going home. I did not want a repeat of last time. The voice in my head was telling me to just go home and get Charlie. I knew the best and safest thing to do._

_I started to climb into the truck again when I heard another sound. This time it wasn't a scream, it was a voice. A thin, frail voice. It came from the direction of the woods. Only this time it was closer. It didn't sound distant like the scream had._

"_Help me. Please," the voice said. _

_I peered around the truck cautiously. _

_It was a girl. She was standing behind the yellow caution tape that marked of the crime scene. The girl was wearing a long white dress. It was tattered and dirty, caked with mud. The dress seemed to be a bit out of date—like maybe a hundred years out of date with it's full, long skirt and ruffled hems. The pale white bodice was cinched tightly, accentuating her but and waist. I noticed that her arms were dirty as well as her hands; her fingernails were caked with dirt. I couldn't quite make out her face because her head was down and her long, dark tangled hair hung in the way. _

_She stood there immobile as her arms hung limply at her sides. _

"_H-Hello?" I stammered._

"_Please, help me. I beg of you."_

_I stepped forward, though my mind was screaming all sorts of warnings at me. I knew deep down that something was strange about this girl. The way she was dressed was one giveaway. Also that she appeared in the woods, seemingly from nowhere. _

"_What's your name?" I asked._

"_Help me. They are after me. They will kill me if the find me." Her voice sounded dead and emotionless. _

"_Who's going to kill you? Who are you running from?"_

_She didn't answer. She just reached out her hand, her dirty pale fingers shaking violently. I took a few more steps forward and extended my arm. My fingertips brushed her lightly and briefly, but it was long enough. _

_Colors flashed before my eyes. Greens, blues, browns, reds. They all blurred together, but eventually cleared and took shape, pieces being put together until everything was crystal clear. It was like a scene unfolding on a movie screen._

_There was a girl. She was running, her long hair a dark waterfall of curls bouncing behind her. She wore a full white dress, the hems ruffled with lace, the bodice pulled tight. The beautiful white fabric was getting dirty as it dragged across the forest floor and as she fell against huge pine trees. I realized that this was the girl standing at the edge of the forest begging me for help. I also realized that from the way that she was frantically running that she was being chased. _

_She began to run faster, possibly sensing that her pursuers were gaining on her. She peered over her shoulder to try to get a look at her chasers. I still couldn't get a good look at her face because the wind whipped her hair in the way. _

_I wanted to call out to her, but before I could I heard someone call out to me._

"_Bella!" I heard someone call._

"_Bella! Wake up!"_

_What? Wake up?_

_I started to call out to the girl again, but I was interrupted by a rattling sensation throughout my body, like someone had taken hold of me and was shaking me._

_I felt warm fingers on my face and along with it, a buzzing, tingling feeling. I knew that touch._

"_Bella, wake up."_

_Edward?_

My eyes shot open and I blinked rapidly, letting my eyes adjust to the bright light. It was daytime and Edward's face was in front of mine.

"Edward?" I rasped out. "What's going on?"

"Well you didn't show up to any of your classes so I just assumed you were just tired and went home," he explained.

"But then when school let out and we came to the parking lot and saw your truck still here, we got worried," Alice said.

"It was a relief to find you asleep on the ground. We thought that maybe you had gone into the woods again," Edward said, his voice full with worry.

I smiled weakly at him and yawned.

"I'm fine. I just wanted some air." I put my palm to my head and sighed. "I must have fallen asleep without realizing it."

I looked around. The parking lot was nearly empty except for Edward's car and a few cars that belonged to a few of the teachers.

"Did I really sleep out here all day?"

"I'm afraid so beautiful," Edward said as he brushed a bit of stray hair away from my face.

"That must have been some dream you were having," Alice said. "You are sweating buckets."

Dream? It all came rushing back to me. I stood abruptly and made my way around the truck to search the taped off crime scene. I don't know what I was hoping to find there.

"Bella what are you doing?" Edward asked from behind me.

I inched closer to the yellow tape, searching the ground trying to find something, anything. My search was futile of course. There was nothing, not even a footprint.

"Is everything okay?"

I turned to see Edward standing with his hands tucked in his coat pockets, his face concerned.

"You seriously look like you've seen a ghost Bella," Alice chimed in.

"Maybe I have," I mumble to myself.

"What was that?" Edward asked.

I shook my head. "Nothing. I just want to go home."

"Okay."

I started for my truck. I gathered my things from the ground and walked to the driver's side door and reached for the handle.

"Let me drive you home," Edward said, covering my hand with his.

"I'm fine. I can really drive myself."

"I would feel better if you'd let me. Alice will follow us to your house in my car. Please." His green eyes were pleading and I couldn't say no.

"Okay," I relented with a sigh.

The drive was quiet and I could barely keep my eyes open. I hadn't realized I had drifted off until I felt Edward gently nudging me awake.

Charlie's cruiser was not in the yard so I took it that he had not yet arrived home. I hopped out the truck a bit unsteady on my feet. Once I regained my balance I made my way up the sidewalk leading to the front door. Edward was right behind me when I walked inside the house.

"Thank you for driving me," I said as he handed me the keys. I looked down at my feet.

I had no idea why I turned into such a hot flustering mess when he was around.

"No problem. I wanted to make sure you were safe."

I looked up into his clear green eyes and was instantly lost. He was truly mesmerizing. My heart skipped and stuttered in my chest. I reached up to touch the side of his face. Before I knew it was happening, his lips were on mine. The kiss stole my breath away. His breath was hot against my lips. It made me dizzy. I felt his tongue swipe at my bottom lip and I opened up to him instantly. It seemed as if our tongues were fighting each other for dominance and what a lovely battle it was.

I was the first to pull away albeit reluctantly. We panted against each other's mouths for a moment before Edward place a soft chaste kiss on my lips once more.

"Let me stay here with you until Charlie gets home."

I shook my head. Being alone in the house with Edward would not be a good idea right now. "I'll be fine," I said although my body was screaming for him to stay.

He sighed.

"I just want to have a quick nap. Believe or not, I'm exhausted," I said.

"Well let me stay until you fall asleep, at least," he pleaded.

"Alice is waiting for you," I reminded him.

"I told her to give me a few minutes. She'll understand."

I bit my lip and looked away. I sighed. "Okay fine. But we're not going into my bedroom," I joked.

He laughed. "I wasn't insinuating that—"

"Shh…" I cut him off and placed a chaste kiss on his lips.

I walked to the recliner and let out the footrest. Edward grabbed a pillow from the love seat as well as the red blanket that was thrown across the back of it.

I positioned the pillow behind my head until I was comfortable. Edward placed the blanket over me.

He crouched down until his face was level with mine. "Everything's going to be okay."

I nodded.

"Just talk to you father. I'm sure there's no connection that could lead to you."

I smiled at him.

"Sleep. You look exhausted. Like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders."

"It feels like it."

He kissed my cheek. I didn't want to close my eyes, didn't want to stop staring at him, but my lids were heavy and they were closing of their own accord. I was asleep within minutes.

* * *

><p>I was awoken to the sound of the front door opening and closing and boots hitting the floor.<p>

"Bells?" Charlie called out.

I sat up and fished around in my pocket for my cell phone. It was almost seven.

I yawned. "In here."

He appeared from around the corner. "Long day?" he asked.

I shrugged and yawned. "Oh! I haven't started dinner!" I stood and walked quickly to the kitchen.

"Don't worry about it. I went by the diner and picked us something up."

"You didn't need to—"

He held up his hand, cutting me off mid-sentence. "Don't give it a second thought. I think you need a break from cooking every night given everything that has gone on in the past few days and… weeks." His voice sounded tired.

Forks was a small town where not much went on and I could tell that Charlie wasn't particularly used to the amount of action he'd been getting lately. First his ex-wife—my mother, who I was pretty sure he still held a slight flame for—was killed, then his daughter—me—goes wandering around on the forest and gets herself lost, and now a murder case right in his very town. I couldn't imagine how overwhelmed he must have felt.

I knew that tonight would not be the best time to ask him about Forks' little ghost story, but after everything that had happened I just couldn't wait. I needed answers. I would ask him about it during dinner.

"I'm going to wash up for dinner," I said.

Charlie only grunted in response. I went up to the bathroom and splashed cold water on my face in attempt to wake myself up. It didn't exactly work like I had hoped. I changed out of my jeans and pulled on a pair of sweats before heading back down to the kitchen. Charlie had already taken the food out of the carryout trays and put it on regular dining china.

The cheeseburger and fries sitting on my plate looked delicious, but I couldn't quite muster up a big enough appetite to want to eat it all.

"Thanks for the dinner," I told him as I sat down.

"Don't mention in," he replied, cutting into his steak.

I took a sip of water and began to nibble on a fry. I was trying to find a way to bring up the Christmas topic in a way that wasn't extremely obvious.

"I got a call from the school today."

Uh-oh!

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Apparently you didn't show up for any of your classes today. What's that about?" He didn't look up from his food once.

"Um…" _Just spit it out, Bella. _"I know what happened."

Charlie's fork froze in midair. "I knew Alice would tell you, whether I wanted you to know or not. A mouth on her, that girl has."

"I don't know if I could have kept something like this a secret myself," I said defending Alice. "Anyway, it was just too much for me to handle so I decided to go outside to get some air and I ended up falling asleep I the truck." No need to spike his blood pressure by telling him that I slept outside the whole day. "I didn't even know that I had fallen asleep until Alice and Edward came and found me at the end of the day. So, I didn't skip. It was completely unintentional," I finished with a long sigh.

"You know, no one thinks you had anything to do with what happened to Lucas Mallory." His voice was strong and confident when he said it, which made me feel a whole lot better.

"I know, but you know how teenagers in high school can be. I was in those same woods he was found in and I also claimed to have heard screaming and to the kids at school that's more than enough evidence. To them if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quack like a duck, then it's a duck." My head was beginning to hurt again. I wanted to go upstairs to my bedroom. I just wanted to lie in the dark and forget these past couple of weeks. But I had to get some answers out of Charlie.

"Nothing points to you. I mean we're not even close to figuring out who did this, but you're in the clear. Trust me Bella."

I nodded and Charlie turned his attention back to his food. I took a shallow bite from my burger before I finally packed up the courage to start asking questions.

"So when do you plan on pulling out the Christmas decorations?" I asked as nonchalantly as possible.

If I weren't looking for a reaction I would have missed how he almost dropped his fork into his lap.

He coughed.

"What? Is there something wrong?" I asked.

"Um no, I just didn't expect you to bring that up. I guess I just thought that you would have heard some things from the kids at school," he said as he wiped his hand nervously across his forehead.

"Heard what?"

"Well… Bella we don't really celebrate Christmas around here."

"What? Why not?" I tried my best to sound genuinely confused.

"It's a long story. A story for another day."

That wasn't good enough.

"Well, I think it's kind of strange that you don't celebrate Christmas. I mean, it's Christmas."

"I really don't want to have this conversation Bella," he said.

"Why not?"

"It's just not something I feel you need to know."

"Well I don't think you really have a choice but to tell me. I live here now, so I would like to know why I'm not celebrating Christmas," I argued.

"Just drop it Bella. Please."

"Did something bad happen?"

"Bella, I said drop it!"

He was angry, but I didn't really care. He was keeping secrets from me and it was really unfair.

"I really thought you would tell me," I sighed, hinting that I knew more than what I let on.

"What is that supposed to mean?" He had completely forgotten his food and was staring at me with wide eyes.

"It means that I know part of the truth and that if you won't tell me the rest then, I have someone who will tell me. But I really want to hear it from you, Dad."

"Who told you? It was Alice, wasn't it," he accused.

"No, it wasn't Alice."

"Edward," I heard him mumble under his breath.

I didn't deny it; I just waited for him to talk.

He sighed and ran his hand over his face.

"It's a really long story."

"I've got time."

He was silent for a few more minutes. I was about to just give up and go upstairs and try another day, but then he decided to start talking.

"This was the story I was told. It was a long time ago, a really long time ago and people didn't take too well to people being different."

"Different? What do you mean?"

"You know, everybody practiced the same religion, everybody went to the same church every single Sunday. Everyone dressed accordingly and acted accordingly. Everything was done by the book. If you behaved any differently, you were instantly talked about and looked at funny."

"Go on," I urged.

"Forks was even smaller back then, smaller than it is now as hard as that is to believe. There was this one family, I forget their name, they didn't attend church regularly and that was reason enough for the townsfolk to look at them more closely than others. They had two kids—girls—and one of them began to stir up all sorts of trouble. She spent a lot of time in the woods and people thought that it was pretty odd. Anyway her parents couldn't figure out why she did it. They figured that she would just grow out of it. She didn't. It actually got worse. She came back out of the woods with ghost stories, telling them to all the children in town, scaring them up. Parents eventually got sick of it and ordered them out of town.

"Well they left and about six months later they returned. It was a few days before Christmas Eve night. They came banging on the doors asking everyone had they seen their daughter. Apparently she had gone missing. All anyone did was close the doors in their faces a shake their heads claiming that this girl was bringing trouble to their quite town again.

"Well, the girl wasn't found and the family was distraught and furious that no one even tried to help them look. They packed up and headed for the next town over. So the next day when a local boy was found dead in the woods the townsfolk could only come to one conclusion. They blamed his death on the girl's family, claiming that they killed him because no one would help them look for their daughter. They decided to take matters into their own hand, quite unlawfully at that. The family was traveling to the next town by foot and they had almost made it before they were ambushed and dragged back to Forks. They were drug into the town square and they were tortured and eventually killed. Poor family.

"It was at that precise moment that the missing girl decided to show her face. She was very much alive though it was evident that she had taken a tumble in the woods. She'd witnesses her entire family being killed. The townsfolk were shocked to see her standing there and there was no other option. She was liability and so they knew they had to kill her, too. They went after her, but they never caught up to her alive, or so they thought. They found her deep in the forest, right at the border of the river knocked out by a stone that she'd hit her head on while running. They left her for dead.

"It was quiet for the next few days. The town buried their secret; they went about their normal lives."

"No one ever found out what they did?" I asked, although it was obvious that someone had.

"Well of course, eventually the story got out—I wouldn't be telling it to you now if it hadn't—but by then everyone that was involved were either dead or at death's door."

"So what about Christmas? Something else happened, didn't it?"

"Yeah. It was early Christmas morning and a local girl woke up screaming that someone had taken her brother and sister from their beds. Everyone set out to find them, but they didn't make it any further than the town square. The two kids were found lying in the middle of the street, necks broken. No one knew what to think of it so when they saw they ghostly image a girl fleeing for the woods they instantly thought it was the girl from the family that they'd killed. They went after her but found nothing, not even footprints. They never saw her again, but they knew she had something to do with the deaths of those children. So the next Christmas when a house caught fire with five children in it and the Christmas after that a few kids got lost out as far as the river and drowned the town came to the mutual agreement that Christmas was to be seen as a bad omen and they never celebrated it again," he finished.

Nothing could be heard, but the sound of the clock ticking on the wall for the longest moment. The story was a bit much to take in. The Christmas mystery was solved, but I still—unbelievably—had questions. Who were the girl and her family?

Edward had said that it had something to do with me, but what? This gruesome story having anything even remotely possible to do with me was impossible. I decided to ask Charlie.

"So what does this have to do with me?"

His eyes were wide as saucers when he looked at me. "Now who says that any of that has anything to do with you, Bella?"

"Well…Edward was telling me—"

"You tell Edward that he has no business filling your head with such nonsense," he nearly yelled.

I didn't understand why he was getting so upset if there was really nothing to it.

"Okay, don't be mad him. He only told me because I asked."

"Well that's the story," he said in a much more calm voice.

I bit my lip and looked down at my half-eaten burger. I wanted to ask more questions, but I didn't.

"You seem a bit worn out," I said. "I'll clean up in here and you can go catch the game or something."

Charlie didn't go into the living room to watch baseball that night. He went straight up to his room and closed the door.

Once I was done cleaning the kitchen I turned out all the lights downstairs and headed for my bedroom. The hallway was dark. Charlie's light was off. I stepped to his door and almost knocked, but changed my mind at the last minute.

"Goodnight Dad," I called out.

He didn't answer.

I tidied my room a bit before changing into my pajamas. Despite my all day sleep-fest I was still quite tired. I turned on the huge orange and yellow lava lamp that my mother had gotten my when I turned fifteen. Once the yellowish- orange glow began to radiate full around the room, I went to close my blinds.

Just as I grabbed the string to close them the street light at the edge of the road flickered twice and went out, leaving only the glow of the moon to light the darkness.

I never realized how creepy it looked outside at night in Forks. I could see snow clouds rolling in.

I drug my eyes to look briefly at the dense forest that bordered the side yard.

I had almost completely shut the blinds when I thought I saw the briefest flash of white in the trees. I did a double take and looked a bit more closely, but whatever I had thought I'd seen was gone.

The snow clouds finally rolled all the way in and obscured the moon. The light it was providing disappeared and the yard was instantly swallowed whole by darkness.

* * *

><p>AN: Well, there you have it! Nice and long right? I hope you enjoyed this one!

-So Charlie's story just piled on even more mystery, did it not?

-What is going with Bella and her crazy dreams?

-And it is such a shame about Lauren's little brother, right?

As always, please let me know what you think. Did you like it? Did you not? Any theories?

Sound off with a review!

- X.O. BlckSwnn


	9. A Soul for Christmas (Temporary Hiatus)

Okay so I know those of you who have been reading 'A Soul for Christmas' maybe wondering why there have been no updates for sooooooooo long…. Well, school has had me crazy busy for so long that I just completely fell off the boat with this story. Not to worry though, I have not abandoned it. For the time being ASfC will be on a brief hiatus. I promise to finish the entire story while I'm out on Christmas break… So I should begin updating again beginning January (Maybe mid-January; it all depends) I know it will throw the story off from the Christmas deadline that I originally planned to make, but I just won't be able to get it all done by Christmas. But I WILL finish this story for you guys.

Sorry for the inconvenience. I hope this doesn't turn any one off to this story because I'm really dying to share what is going to happen and I want you all to like it. So just sit tight AsfC will be back! :-)

Thanks for understanding!

-xoxo BlackSwann004


	10. Chapter 9

Hello again! First off I want to apologize for the EXTRA long wait... I got a bit stuck with the story and with real life (yeah, it sucks). But I am back now and I just because the wait was so long I gave you a very juicy chapter where lots of things happen. Yes, more drama! But that's what makes the story, right? Things move forward a bit more with Bella and Edward, there is a school lock down, and Bella has a bit of a ghostly encounter... again!

So I hope you enjoy!

* * *

><p>Chapter 9:<p>

A fine blanket of snow dusted the ground the next morning. I'd never liked the snow even though I'd seen it all the time in Colorado. I especially detested having to drive in it now. It was snowy windshields and frozen roads that had killed my mother.

My heart lurched a bit.

I still hadn't had time to properly mourn my mother. She'd only been gone from my life for two weeks, but it felt like it had been an eternity. I was rushed to Washington so fast that I barely even remembered going to the funeral. But maybe that was because I was so numb.

As I looked out over the bright white yard more than a few tears fell from my eyes. I was glad that Charlie was gone already. I did not want to face him with red, puffy eyes. He wasn't extremely comfortable with that sort of thing. So it saved us both a full bowl of awkwardness for breakfast. I felt like a big ball of emotions and remembering the night before did nothing to help.

Charlie's story was till fresh on my mind and I couldn't help but feel like something was being left out. The whole story still wasn't adding up to me. Maybe I could get more information out of Edward.

I brushed my hair diligently and got dressed slower than usual. My mind wasn't used to so much drama in such a short amount of time. I literally felt like I would shut down without warning.

When I got to school there were thankfully no cops hovering, but the yellow tape was still up. I didn't realize that I was staring at that spot until I felt the back of my neck started to tingle from the kiss that was delicately placed there.

Edward.

I turned and smiled up at him. "Hi."

"Hey beautiful," he replied. "You were looking a little lost for a moment there."

I shook my head and cast my eyes downward. "I just can't get all of this out of my head," I said, gesturing to the taped off portion of the forest.

He nodded in understanding.

"I just can't help but think that if I would have actually found Lauren's brother last week when I heard him that he would be alive now. And I'm still really nervous about school. I know that people have heard what happened and—"

"Hey, stop," Edward cut me off. "None of that. I told you – Emmett told you – that if anyone gave you a hard time, just let us know. You've been through enough already and you don't need anyone jumping down your throat about something you had no part in."

I sighed. "How are you doing this?"

"Doing what, exactly?" He looked genuinely confused.

"I've known you a week and I feel like I can just trust you with anything. I mean, I don't even think it's normal to feel like this. God, Edward what on earth are you doing to me? I asked with a laugh.

"I'm assuming it's safe to say that's a compliment."

I nodded. "A major one."

"Well, I'm pleased you feel that way."

He was leaning down and I could feel his warm breath on my lips. His mouth was just barely touching mine when we were interrupted by a high voice and heels clicking swiftly on the pavement.

"Aha! I knew I would find you two over here with your faces stuck together!"

"Alice, what is it?" Edward asked, annoyed.

"Oh Edward, get your panties out of a bunch! I just came to kindly inform you that your calculus class isn't meeting this morning."

"Why not?" I asked.

"Well, Mrs. Gray's water broke earlier while she was in Principal Greene's office getting her final exam approved. So she was rushed to the hospital and they couldn't find a sub last minute, so you two have a free hour. I'm supposed to be telling you to meet the rest of the class in the library, but from what I saw before interrupting, I would say that you two would enjoy an hour alone together." She winked.

I smiled at her. "Well thanks for letting us know."

"No problem. Well, I will see you guys later." She skipped off back toward the school.

"So did you _want_ to go to the library?" I asked, unsure. I didn't want to assume and be embarrassed.

"Are you kidding and miss a whole hour of alone time with you? No, thanks," he said with a wave of his hand.

"Great! But I really would like to get out of the cold and get somewhere warm. So, you car or mine?"

"Well, since we're already here, after you." He opened the driver's side door of my truck and helped me in before making his way to the other side and sliding in next to me. The truck was still very warm from the heat I ran on the way to school.

"So, I talked to my dad," I said after a few moments of silence.

"Good. I'm sure he assured you that you had nothing to do with Lauren's brother."

He'd misunderstood.

I took a deep breath. "No, I talked to him about… Christmas." I didn't know why it was so hard to even say the word now. Maybe because I knew what that word was synonymous with around here.

"Oh? And what did he tell you?"

I gave Edward the shorter version of what Charlie had told me the night before.

"That's what he told you?" Edward asked.

"Yes, is there more?" I asked.

"No…" he said, his eyes drifting downward. "I just… I guess I didn't expect him to give you the entire gruesome story.

"Well, that's what you wanted, right? For me to know the truth."

He nodded. "Yeah. I guess you're gonna run screaming from this fucked up little town of ours now, right?"

I shook my head. "No. I mean, sure it was pretty horrible what happened to those people and their daughter, but it was so long ago. It seems like the town would be over it by now… but I guess no one gets over something like that."

It was quiet for a moment. "What about you?" I asked him.

"What do you mean?" Edward questioned.

"It isn't a bit creepy to you? Living here, I mean."

He was quiet for a moment before he answered. "Honestly, yeah it is kind of—_really _creepy. Sometimes I find it kind of morbid the way Esme and Carlisle want to continue living here, knowing what history the town has. The thing is that Carlisle is so committed to the hospital that we just can't up and leave, you know. But sometimes I can tell that Esme doesn't really want to be here, but she stays to make Carlisle happy."

"Yeah, I guess." I said quietly and looked out the window. Snow had started to fall again.

"Hey, are you okay?" Edward asked.

I sighed. "I don't know. I just can't stop thinking about it, you know? It's so awful what they did to those people. What kind of people could do that and live with themselves?"

"It's all so hard to comprehend, I know, but hey let's try to get your mind off of it and talk about something else."

"Something else like what?"

"I want to take you out," he says shocking me.

"You want to go out on a date with me?" I asked, surprised.

Edward furrows his eyebrows. "Yes. Why wouldn't I? I mean, you're smart, funny, absolutely gorgeous and I like you. I want the chance to know you Bella," he said seriously. "I mean, I can't be the only one that feels that spark every time we're together. I eve feel it now.

I looked down, blushing. He pulled my face back up so that I could look at him. His green eyes were blazing and I could tell that everything he had said was true. I realized that I felt the exact same way. I mean, we had practically been tongue wrestling since we met, but the thought of an actual date with Edward Masen was blowing my mind. But looking at him now, all I wanted was to get to know him better, too. And iy was true, I definitely felt those sparks. It was like he electrocuted me every time he touched or looked at me.

"So what do you say?" His velvety voice broke me out of my trance.

"Uh, sure. Yeah, I would really love to go out on a date with you Edward."

His smile was magnificent. "Great."

I felt him leaning towards me, and I took the opportunity. I pounced. I had never in my seventeen years of life experienced anything like kissing Edward. His soft lips and his sweet, warm breath were enough to drive me into a complete frenzy.

After at least ten whole minutes of nonstop kissing, Edward was the first one to finally pull away. I may have pouted a bit. He cupped my face between his hands and put his fore head against mine.

"God, what on earth are you doing to me Bella?"

I laughed out loud. "Now you know how I've been feeling."

He placed a few more chaste kisses on my lips before pulling away completely. I think I whimpered at the loss of contact.

"So, Saturday? Dinner and a movie, maybe?"

"Definitely, I can't wait."

At that moment there was a sharp rap at my window. I screamed.

"Calm down, Bella," said the voice from outside of the window. "It's only me."

"Jesus Alice, you scare me half to death," I said as I rolled my window down.

"I just came to tell you two lovebirds that there are like twenty minutes left in first period. So if you don't want to look all suspicious rushing from the parking lot when the bell rings, you'd better be heading inside," she said and it seemed like she was gone just as quickly as she had appeared.

"I guess we'd better break this little party up, huh?" I said.

"As much as I hate to, yeah I guess we should."

I wrapped up tightly and stepped out the truck and into the falling snow. I looked at the ground and noticed that it was really sticking. Why did that fill me with dread? Edward and I walked back to the building together. We decided not to go to the library. Instead he walked me outside the door of my Spanish class. The fifteen-minute wait for the bell was quiet, but it wasn't awkward. When the shrill ringing sounded signaling the end of first period Edward leaned down and gave me a quick kiss.

"I'll see you at lunch?"

"Yes," I said with a smile that was probably a mile wide.

"Good. Until then." He turned and walked in the direction that we came.

I turned to walk in the classroom, but a stunned and wide eyed Jessica stopped me.

"Hey Jess," I greeted jovially.

"Are you joking? You have GOT to be joking me right now, Bella."

"What?" I asked, although I already knew what she was referring to.

"Edward? Are you two like hooking up now or something?" she asked.

"No, we are not hooking up. We've hung out a bit a few times, but that's it." No need to tell her that we had in fact been making out like maniacs all morning. No, that would definitely not be a good idea..

"But I saw him kiss you."

_Damn it!_

"He kissed me on my cheek." I lied.

She narrowed her eyes and crossed her arm over her chest. "Didn't seem like a kiss to the cheek to me, but whatever. We'll talk more about it during study hall."

I almost groaned. I'd forgotten that I had study hall with Jessica.

"Come on, we'll be late for class," I said, desperate to change the subject. But it was useless.

"You know Tanya is going to be _beyond _pissed, right? I actually can't wait to see how she reacts.'

"It's none of Tanya's business. And she can get over herself," I mumbled.

"Ooh, rawr!" she made her hands into mock claws. "I love a good girl fight."

"No one is fighting anyone Jessica. As far as I know, Edward isn't even remotely interested in Tanya."

Why was I even encouraging this conversation? She opened her mouth to speak, but the bell beat her to it and class began.

Spanish was long and boring and I almost fell asleep during the lecture. I dreaded study hall with Jessica. I wasn't even in the library and in my seat good before she pounced.

"There's got to be more to this than what you're letting on. Tell me, tell me, tell me!"

I sighed and, just so she would shut up with the squealing, told her about how Alice invited me to Thanksgiving dinner and that Edward and I had been talking ever since. Of course, this only prompted more squeals. I was surprised we weren't kicked out of the library. Luckily she was satisfied with that after she got a text on her phone. She left me alone for the rest of the hour.

When lunchtime rolled around I was exhausted, which was completely stupid because all I seemed to do lately was sleep. I got a sandwich and chips and made my way to Edward's table. I slid in next to Alice and waited for Edward to arrive.

"Well, you look like a pure bucket of sunshine," Alice chirped sarcastically.

I rolled my eyes. "I'm just tired."

"Or missing my brother," she said.

I sighed. "Maybe that has something to do with it."

"Well you are in luck because here he comes now."

Almost instantly I felt his energy wake up my tired body. His lips on my cheek sent shockwaves through me.

"Hey," he whispered into my ear. I shivered.

"Hi," I said with a smile.

"So, how has your day been so far?'

"Uneventful and extremely long."

"Long? It's only 11:45."

"She has been having Edward withdrawals," Alice piped in.

"Alice," I groaned.

"What? It's the truth."

"Emmett and Rose arrive then.

"Is it true? Have you really been missing me?" Edward teases me with a kiss to my cheek.

"Ugh, dude we haven't even been in lunch for ten minutes. We don't wanna watch you and little Bells sucking face. I have to eat."

"Emmett," Rosalie said with a smack to his arm. "Leave them alone."

"Yeah. After two whole years of watching you and Rose practically screw each other during lunch, I think that I deserve some payback," Edward shot back.

Rosalie actually blushed and shot a glare at Edward.

"Fuck you dude," Emmett said with a chuckle.

"No, thank you."

"Will you two just please?" Alice complained.

"Sure thing Itty Bitty," Emmett said to Alice and ruffled her hair.

I couldn't help but laugh at Alice's reaction. She looked like a little frustrated kitten.

"My name is not Itty Bitty, and please watch the hair! It's not funny Bella!" She glared at me.

"It kinda is. You should see your face. You look oh, so threatening."

She huffed and crossed her arms as the rest of us giggled and snorted.

"Okay, if you are all done laughing at my expense. I would just like to let you know that I heard that Tyler Crowley is throwing a party up at his parent's lake house this Friday."

"Dude, Tyler's parties are always the best!" Emmett practically yells, which prompts Rose to smack him on the back of the head.

"Emmett calm your monkey ass down! You'll get us put out of the cafeteria."

"Ouch babe," Emmett whined while rubbing the back of his head.

"Anyway… Are you guys in?" Alice continues.

They nod and Edward looks at me. "Bella?"

"Sure, why not?" Truthfully I had never partied before and all I could think of was grinding up against Edward in a dark room filled with music. The thought of it made my pulse race.

"Then I guess we're in."

"Great! Now all I have to do is find me a date," Alice said.

"Hey, I heard that Jasper and Maria had a really nasty break up over Thanksgiving," Rosalie said.

"Really?" Alice said at the same time I said, "Who's Jasper?"

"Oh, he's just this guy that Alice is insanely and madly in love with," Edward said with a chuckle.

"Shut _up_ Edward!" The fierce kitten was back.

"So, who is Jasper, really?" I asked again.

"Only the most gorgeous human being to ever grace the face of the earth!" Alice squealed.

"I take it you like Jasper?" I asked.

Rosalie scoffed. "Like isn't even the word."

"Anyway, I have been impatiently waiting for him to just kick Maria to the curb so I could have my chance. I think I've finally got it!" She pulls out a silver compact from her purse and checks her makeup. "So, if you will all excuse me, I'm going to see if Jasper Whitlock needs a shoulder to cry on." She stood and openly adjusted her boobs and stalked off to the far left corner of the cafeteria.

"Well, she's something, isn't she?' I said, laughing.

"Oh you have no idea," Edward chimed in.

Halfway through lunch I found out what Edward mean by Emmett and Rosalie practically screwing at the lunch table. If they lost the pants, they'd be doing the deed for everyone to see. Alice returned right before lunch is over with a huge smile on her face.

"Mission accomplished! Jasper Whitlock is officially my date to Tyler's party on Friday."

"Good for you!" I smiled at her, honestly happy that she had gotten the guy she had been crushing on.

The bell rang at that moment.

"So do you want to come over later and hang?" Edward asked.

My stomach did a little flip.

"Okay," I mumbled shyly.

"You're really cute when you blush," he said right against my ear. He gave me a short, but intense kiss. "I'll see you after school."

"Alright." I turned to Alice, who was just standing there grinning at me like some kind of maniacal Cheshire cat. "What?"

"If you two were anymore cute I would so throw up!"

"Alice, please," I whined.

"I'm kidding, but seriously it is so good to see Edward happy. He's always been a bit of a loner and the only person he's ever really dated is that bitch Tanya, pardon my French… and I use the word 'date' very loosely when speaking of her and Edward. But I can see that you'll be different."

"Well, here's to hoping."

"No hope needed. You can't tell it, but I can and Edward is already in love with you."

Her words almost made me choke. "What? In love? We've barely known each other two weeks Alice. He is not in love with me."

"Whatever you say. I can see it. I have never seen him look at anybody the way he looks at you. There's love there. You'll see."

I just rolled my eyes and we headed to Biology, which, thankfully, passed in the blink of an eye. Maybe it was because we had a sub. My history teacher assigned projects for us to do over the break. Apparently we needed something to do while we were out. Because apparently we wouldn't have Christmas to occupy our time.

I was stuck with researching the very exciting history of Forks since I was new in town. Delving further into Forks' history was not exactly appealing to me at the moment. I had gotten enough of a history lesson on this town the night before. I was tempted to ask for another subject, but then I realized this could be a great way to find out more about Forks' 'Ghost of Christmas past' story. Even though I really didn't find the whole thing a turn on, I was desperate to get that missing information that I felt Charlie had purposefully excluded and it was clear the Edward did not want to tell me either. But something in my gut was warning me that I would not like what I would find.

There were about ten minutes left in class when the intercom buzzed and Mrs. Cope's voice filled the air.

"Attention all students and faculty. Due to an oncoming snowstorm and the two plus feet of snow outside, Forks High School will be on a temporary lockdown. Be reminded that this precaution is being taken with your protection in mind. So when the last bell of the day sounds everyone please report to the cafeteria. Attendance will be taken. We will do our best to get you all home before it gets too late. Thank you and have a wonderful afternoon."

Groans of complaint echoed throughout the classroom. It seemed that my after school plans with Edward were ruined. I would have to settle with spending an afternoon with him in a cafeteria full of rowdy teenagers.

And rowdy was exactly what they were. It took five teachers , two janitors and Principal Greene combined with thirty minutes to get a student body of only three hundred and sixty to calm down so attendance could be taken.

I was curled into Edward's side in the far corner of the lunchroom along with Emmett and Rosalie. Alice was nowhere in sight.

"Where is Alice?" I asked Edward.

"She's probably somewhere hanging under Jasper."

I nodded my head in agreement, but I had an uneasy feeling in my chest, spreading to my stomach.

"She's probably fine Bella."

The teachers assigned to take attendance went from table to table taking names. After everyone was accounted for, Principal Greene made an announcement.

"Okay, now everyone I have the slightest idea of how long we're going to be in here, but just try to keep the noise level to a minimum. We are doing all we can to get you home," he said with his hands on his hips. The next words he said made my skin go cold. "Now, has anyone seen or heard from Alice Cullen within the past hour?"

I looked to Edward and I saw his eyes widen. Where was Alice?

No one spoke up, but there was mumbling. A grating voice spoke up through the noise.

"Why don't you ask Bella Swan? She seems to be around when people go missing."

Tanya. Why couldn't she just have an ounce of class and keep her mouth shut? All eyes landed on me. I couldn't help but notice how accusing everyone looked. Rosalie spoke up next.

"Keep your eyes to yourselves. Nothing to see this way."

Almost every eye looked elsewhere, but I could still feel Tanya's daggers on me.

"Enough Tanya," Principal Greene said. "Now, as I was saying, has anyone seen Alice Cullen?…. Anyone?"

Again, no one answered. I looked at Edward again. I could see the panic setting in.

"I'll be right back," he said. He got up and walked over to Principal Greene. They exchanged a few words. Edward pulled out his phone and put it to his ear. After what looked like a failed call, he typed out a quick text. Principal Greene whispered something in Edward's ear and Edward nodded before making his way back over to us.

"What was that all about?" Emmett asked. "Is Itty Bitty okay?"

"I'm not sure, I called her, but she didn't answer. I'm still waiting for her to respond to my text. Principal Greene said he'd send out a few teachers and school security to look for her." His voice was strained.

By this point my stomach was in knots. My palms were sweating and my breathing was becoming labored. I hadn't had a panic attack since I was about eleven. I would get them out of the blue all the time. My mother always took me to doctors, but no one could seem to figure out what was the cause of them. I don't even think I had one when I found out my mother had died, but I was definitely having one now.

"Bella? Bella calm down." It was Edward's voice next to my ear.

My skin felt like it was on fire and I couldn't get enough air to my lungs. I was gasping.

"Bella, listen to my voice." I felt his hands on my face. That brought me back to reality a bit, but I still couldn't find any air.

"She needs air, Edward." Was that Rosalie? "Back up a bit." I felt Edward leave my side and I was surprised when I felt my head stop spinning. My breathing calmed and my skin cooled almost instantly.

"See. She just needed a little space." Yes, that was Rose.

I opened my eyes and I saw Edward's anxious eyes on my face. I gave him a small smile and motioned for him to come to me.

"Are you sure?" he asked, clearly concerned.

"Yes, please," I whispered. He rushed to my side. His arms were around me instantly. I looked around, expecting every eye in the room to be on us, but I was surprised. My little episode hadn't been nearly dramatic as I thought it had been. No one was even giving us a second glance.

"Bella are you okay?" Edward asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just had a slight panic attack. Nothing too serious."

"Do you have them often?" he asked.

"I haven't had one since I was eleven. I don't know what brought that on." Then Alice came back to my mind. I almost panicked again, but this time I reined it in.

"Well everything is going to be fine. I promise."

I nodded my head against his chest. We all settled in for what looked to be a long wait. I looked at my cell phone. It was four-thirty. I sent a quick text to Alice.

'Are you okay? Please respond, Alice.'

I waited. We all waited. One hour turned into two and two was quickly turning into three. My stomach was still twisting and turning. I re-sent the text. I still got no response. It was then that I realized my bladder was screaming. I sat and looked around. Half the cafeteria was asleep.

"Edward?" I shook his shoulder.

"Hmm?" he mumbled.

"I'm going to the bathroom."

"Oh, I'll go with you." He began to sit up, obviously still half asleep.

"No, I can go alone. I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?" He looked at me with sleepy eyes.

"Yes. I'll be right back, I promise."

He took a quick glance at his phone. "Okay. Hurry back."

"I will." I kissed his cheek and made my way through the crowded lunchroom. I passed by a snoring Tanya and snickered to myself. I quietly told Mrs. Cope that I was going to the restroom and she graciously let me out, urging me to hurry back.

The hallways were a bit dark, but thankfully they were pretty warm. I would go to the bathroom and then try to call Alice and get back to the lunchroom as quickly as possible. I used the bathroom and quickly washed my hands. When I stepped outside, the hallways seemed a bit darker. Maybe my eyes just had to adjust to the darkness. I pulled my phone out and dialed Alice's number. It rang and rang until her voice sounded on the other end, but I quickly found out that it was only her voice mail.

"You have reached Mary Alice Cullen. I'm probably busy right now, so I can't come to the phone. Try me later or I'll get back to you ASAP. And if this is Emmett, take your sex jokes and forward them to Edward!" The *beep* sounded. I chuckled a bit at that last part, but worry still gripped my insides.

I decided to just go back to the cafeteria, but something stopped me. It was a voice. But it wasn't just any voice.

It was Alice.

It came from far down the hall in the direction of the library. She'd called my name. I was sure of it.

"Alice? I called back.

Nothing. It was dead quiet. If a pin dropped I would hear it. I knew that I should go back to the cafeteria and get an adult, get Edward, but this was me. Stupid ol' me, so of course I started walking towards the library.

"Alice?" I called out again.

"Bella?"

It was a little faint, but I was sure that I had heard it that time. It really was Alice. I sprinted toward the library doors and flung them open. It was even darker in here. I felt around for a light switch and when I found one, I flipped it up. Bright light filled the library instantly.

"Alice are you in here? Are you okay?"

No response.

"Alice?" I called out again.

There was a faint noise. It came from the back of the library. From the area Jessica and I usually sat during study hall.

"Alice is that you?"

I slowly started to walk in the direction the sound came from. I got to the table where Jessica and I sat, expecting to find a grinning Alice playing some sort of trick on me, but what I did find made me feel worse. Alice's bright purple designer backpack and her cute little Chanel purse sat atop the table, but there was no Alice. I reached for the purse and unzipped it. Her phone was inside. She had six missed calls and eight unread text messages. I put the phone back in the purse.

"Alice are you in here?" Still nothing.

At that moment the lights flickered twice and went out completely. Stupid storm. A loud bang echoed through the quiet air. It came from behind the tall bookshelves to my right. My heart was hammering against my rib cage. I was terrified to see what had made the noise, but it could have been Alice. It could be the only noise she was able to make. I had to find out.

"Is someone there?"

A muffled noise. It was a book falling from a shelf. "Alice if that was you, please make that noise again," I called out into the darkness.

There was another noise. It wasn't the noise that I was looking for, but it was enough. I maneuvered through the dark as best and as quickly as I could.

"Don't worry, I'm coming Alice." _Please don't be hurt too badly, _I thought to myself.

Another sound. I was getting closer. I could pinpoint where it was coming from. Just around the corner of the bookshelf. I turned the sharp corner, expecting to find Alice, but it wasn't her. What I found caused a scream to get lodged in my throat. It was the librarian. She was lying on the floor, pale as a sheet. Her body was all twisted and contorted. Every bone in her body had to be broken. Her face was twisted in fear.

There was a low chuckle from behind me. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I didn't want to turn around; I was afraid of what I would find. I did anyway.

That face. The girl that I kept seeing in my dreams. The girl with my face. She was standing in front of me, an evil smirk on her pale face. I wanted to scream, but I couldn't.

"Wh- who are you?" I squeaked out.

Her smile grew larger. "All in good time sweet Bella. Everything you need to know… you already know it. I just have to wait for you to figure it out." Her pale eyes seemed to glow in the moonlight coming from the windows. I realized then that it had stopped snowing. I had to find Alice.

"Where is Alice?"

The girl's smile vanished, replaced with a deep frown. "I really, really didn't want to have to hurt anyone that didn't need to be hurt, but your little friend is just a bit too curious for me."

"Where is she? What have you done to her?"

"Oh, relax sweet Bella."

She started to move towards me. The way her long white dress dragged the floor made it seem as if she were floating. I turned and started to run in the other direction, but she was in front of me instantly. So I did the unthinkable, I pushed her. I almost expected my hands to go right through her. She looked more like a ghost than anything.

She stumbled a bit, surprised. I took off. I flung books from shelves and onto the floor into her path. Anything to slow her—whatever she was—down. I heard a distinct growl behind me, but I didn't turn around. I kept running. I ran until I got to the front of the library. I ducked behind the huge oak desk. After catching my breath, I took a chance to peek over the top of the desk. I saw nothing out of the ordinary besides books strewn all over the place.

I almost jumped out of my skin when I heard a low groan come from below me. I nearly sobbed when I saw Alice lying there.

"Alice! Oh God, Alice!"

"Bella?" she mumbled weakly.

"Shh. Don't talk. There is someone in here with us. I think she wants to hurt you. Do not make a sound, okay?" I could barely make out her weak nod.

I took a chance to peek over the desk again. I regretted it instantly. Standing not three feet away from the desk stood the ghostly girl with my face. Her eyes glowed insanely bright. It looked like she was lit form within. She smiled and lunged straight for the desk, straight for me… and Alice.

This time I didn't hold back my scream. I screamed like my life depended on it, because it actually did.

"Bella?" I was still screaming even though I was sure it was Edward's voice I was hearing. "Bella! Calm down, it's me. It's only me." He stilled my flailing arms. "I'm here. You're okay."

"Edward?" I looked up at his face. The library was now filled with light. "Alice," I croaked out.

"Alice?" he asked.

I nodded and tilted my head in her direction. I felt his body slacken with relief when he saw Alice. "We need more help over here!" He yelled.

There was a flurry of activity around me.

"She's okay. She's got a pretty nasty bump on her head though. Call an ambulance," I heard someone say.

"Is she gone?" I whispered.

"Is who gone?" Edward asked, clearly concerned.

"The girl… there was girl, she was chasing me."

"Bella, there is no one else here but you and Alice."

"No! There was a girl, she… she killed the librarian."

"She did what now?"

"Over by the back windows," I said, pointing.

"Can someone check over by the back windows?" Edward asked.

I heard footsteps and after a moment I heard Edward mumble a strained "Oh God."

I heard Alice groan from somewhere nearby. "Alice?"

"Shh… she's okay. They're taking her to the hospital. The roads are all clear and they're letting us out. I'm taking you home."

"What time is it?"

"Almost eight," he replied.

"Have you called Charlie?"

"Not yet. Come on let's get you out of here."

Mrs. Cope, Principal Greene and a few other teachers that I didn't know were scattered around the library. Principal Greene wouldn't look at me, and Mrs. Cope only looked at me with pity and sadness in her eyes. When we got into the hallway, students were everywhere. When they heard the library doors close, all eyes turned in our direction. Edward tucked me into his side, but I still heard the whispers. The new girl was causing trouble everywhere she went.

"Maybe you should have just stayed where you were!" I heard Tanya shout.

"Tanya…" Edward began to turn around, but I stopped him by hold onto him tighter.

"No, don't give her the satisfaction," I whispered.

Edward took a few deep breaths and continued walking. We stumbled into Rosalie and Emmett on our way out.

"Hey man, I put your stuff in your car for you," Emmett said.

"Thanks, man."

"What about Charlie's truck?" I asked

"Rose will drive it to your house, if that's okay with you."

I nodded. "Of course."

"Are you okay Bella?" Rosalie asked.

"I'll be fine. I'm just a little shook up."

She nodded. "Well, I'll get your truck home as soon as possible."

"Thanks Rose."

"No problem. Be safe."

The ride to my house was quiet until I spoke up. "Will Alice be okay?" I asked.

"Yes. She had a pretty bad cut on her forehead. She'll need some stitches, but she should be fine."

It was quiet again. I could feel the tension surrounding us.

"Edward are you mad at me?"

"Why on earth would I be mad at you?"

"Because all I've done since I've been here is cause trouble."

"Bella, none of this is your fault."

"Well, it feels like it is."

"Let's get you home and then we can talk. You must be tired."

I didn't respond. I just looked out the window. Big snow tractors lined the streets. Everything was so white and sparkly in the moonlight. It would have been beautiful to me had it not been for the terrifying experience I had not an hour ago. I still couldn't get her face out of my head. Those eyes.

We pulled up to my house. All of the lights were out and the cruiser was gone. Charlie was still at the station. Hopefully he would be home soon. I couldn't stay in the house alone tonight. Not after what had happened to me back at the school. Not after what I had seen.

When we stepped inside the house the telephone was ringing. I rushed to the kitchen to pick it up.

"Hello?"

"Jesus Bella!" It was Charlie on the other end. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine Dad."

"Good, good. I heard about the lockdown at the school and I was just informed on… everything else that happened. I'm just glad you're okay Bells."

"Will you be home soon?"

He sighed. "Look honey, the station is still pretty bunkered down by this storm. We got hit the hardest over this way. It'll be a few more hours before we're even able to get out of here. And with what happened over at the school, we'll have to check that out as soon as we're able to get out. I won't be getting in until maybe right before dawn."

Dawn? I couldn't stay here all night alone.

"Will you be okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I'm just gonna go to bed anyway."

"Okay. I'll call Esme and have her and Carlisle check up on you when they can."

"Alright. I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Yeah. Love you Bells."

"I love you too Dad."

I put the phone back on the receiver and turned to Edward.

"I can stay for a bit if you want me to."

I nodded. "I just need to take a shower. Make yourself comfortable, I'll be back down shortly."

"Sure."

I opened my bedroom door slowly, half expecting to see my window gaping open again, but when I turned on the light, everything was still exactly as I had left it. After the hot water of the shower calmed my frantic and frazzled nerves, I got dressed and went back downstairs. Edward was in the kitchen at the stove.

"I made you some tea," he said.

"Thank you. That was sweet." I kissed him softly before he handed me a mug. "Why don't you pour yourself a cup and we can go in the living room?"

"Okay," he said with a smile.

The tea warmed me up immensely. I flipped through the channels for a minute before I felt Edward sit down next to me and take the remote from me. He muted the TV.

"Bella, I think that we need to talk about what happened tonight.

I shook my head. "I'm tired."

"Bella, please."

"We can talk about it tomorrow. Please, I'm tired. I just want to go to sleep."

"Okay," he said and began to stand.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"I thought you said you wanted to go to sleep? I was going to head home."

"No!" I almost yelled. "Please, stay with me tonight."

"Bella do you think that your father would be okay with that?" he asked.

"He won't be in until around dawn. You could set an alarm and be gone before he gets home. Please. I don't want to stay here all night alone."

He ran his hand through his hair once and the again. "Okay, but I'm not going near your bedroom. That's just too risky right now."

"The couch pulls out into a bed. We can stay down here. I just can't be alone right now."

"Okay, fine."

After the pullout bed was all made up with blankets and pillows, Edward's arms were around me and everything felt right again.

"Bella, I know you said you didn't want to talk about it, but you said that there was someone else in the library besides you, Alice and the old librarian. Who was it?"

I sighed. "I don't know who she was, but I know that I saw her."

"Well, what did she look like? That could help figure out who it was."

"No it won't help."

"Why do you think it won't help?"

"Because… because the girl I saw…"

"Yes?"

"She looked like me."

I felt his body tense. "Bella that doesn't make sense."

"I know," I sighed. "It doesn't make a bit of sense."

He didn't say anything else, so I assumed that he'd dropped it. I was thankful for that.

"Goodnight Edward."

"Night Bella," he said and kissed the top of my head.

I snuggled closer into his chest and all of my nightmares and all of my worries were quiet for once as I fell asleep in Edward's warm embrace.

* * *

><p>End Notes: I hope you liked this. And again, so sorry for the long, long, LONG wait. I promise it won't be that long of a wait for the next chapter.<p>

So please feel free to hit up the review box and tell me what you think! :-)

X.O. -BlckSwnn


	11. Chapter 10

**A/N: As promised, you didn't have to wait nearly as long for this one! Read on and enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Chapter 10:<p>

I awoke to a loud bang right above my head. I cracked my eyes open just a bit. It was still dark in the living room, but I could tell that dawn was just beginning to break because I could make out a faint glow through the curtains.

I sat up and looked around. I let out a frightened squeak when I saw the tall shadow hovering above me. Then the living room filled with soft glow of the lamp on the table beside the couch. Arms were around me instantly.

"Shh… it's only me," I heard Edward whisper.

I sighed and instantly melted into his arms. "What time is it?" I asked.

"It's just after five-thirty," he answered as he let me go to lean down and put his shoes on. "You could probably sleep for another hour if you want."

I shook my head and rubbed at my eyes. "No, I'm up now. I'll probably just make some breakfast for Charlie to pass the time. Are you hungry? You could stay. I could tell Charlie that you came over early to check on me if he comes home before you're done."

He turned to me and smiled before leaning in to place a quick kiss on my lips.

"As welcoming as that sounds, I really need to get home. I need a shower and I told Esme that I would be home by six and I don't want her to worry. Plus, I want to check up on Alice before leaving. Thanks for the offer, though."

I sighed and pouted a bit. He chuckled. "Thank you for staying with me last night. I really appreciate it," I said.

"No problem. Honestly, I think I would have stayed even if you hadn't asked me," he admitted.

"Oh really?" I asked, kind of surprised.

He nodded. "I was a bit scared to leave you alone after all that happened last night. I know it may sound weird, but I just feel this overwhelming need to protect you. I've barely known you two weeks. Is that creepy?"

I was a bit speechless. "No, it's not. I think it's sweet," I said honestly.

"Good," he said with a sigh. "I was sure you would run for the hill after hearing that."

I giggled. "Well as long as you don't start sitting on the tree branch outside my window to watch me sleep or anything," I joked.

He pursed his lips. "Don't give me any ideas."

I could only laugh at that, not having a response that would be the least bit appropriate.

"Well, I guess I should get going," he said. There was a bit of reluctance in his voice.

I got up and walked him to the door. When I opened it I could see that everything was still covered in white.

Edward turned to face me. "Would you accept an invitation to ride with me to school today?"

I'm pretty sure that my smile made me look like a maniac. "I would love to."

"Good. I'll be back to pick you up at about seven-thirty."

"I'll be ready."

He cupped my face in his hands and pressed his lips to mine. The kiss was short, but very heated. I almost wanted to pull him back inside and have my way with him. He pulled away before I could get the chance.

"I'll see you later."

"Okay," I whispered.

He didn't move. "Bella?"

"Hmm?"

"You have to let go of me, if I'm going to be out of here before the chief gets home."

I realized then that both of my hands were still very tightly clutching onto his coat.

"Oh, sorry about that," I said, my face heating up with a blush.

He chuckled and kissed my cheek. "I'll get going now."

"Yeah, see you."

I watched as he walked to his car parked behind Charlie's truck. I didn't even hear Rose drop the truck off the night before. When he pulled off and was out of sight I closed the door and turned back to face the empty house. It was still dark because the sun hadn't completely risen. The silence was creepy and the lamp that was lit in the living room cast long shadows on the wall. I took a deep breath and began to gather up the sheets.

It was too quiet, so I picked up the remote from the coffee table and turned on the TV. It was already playing some kind of morning cartoon program, so turned to volume up and left it there. I decided to start on breakfast before getting dressed. I had just finished putting the last pieces of French toast on a plate when I saw Charlie's cruiser pull up through the kitchen window.

Charlie must have smelled the food because as soon as the front door banged open, I heard him call my name.

"In the kitchen," I called back. "I made breakfast. I figured you would be hungry when you got in."

"Thanks Bells."

"No problem." I filled a plate up with food for him and set it on the table along with a mug of coffee and a glass of orange juice. I could feel his eyes on me as I moved around the kitchen.

"Bella are you okay… after last night?"

"Yes. Why wouldn't I be?"

"I called the school and got the _full_ report on what happened last night," I noticed that he put extra emphasis on the word 'full'.

"Did you?" I asked in a nonchalant manner.

"Yes, and Bella you have got to stop wandering off on your own all the time around here. It's dangerous and two people have turned up dead."

"Dad, I didn't… you know that I had nothing to do with either of those deaths right?"

"Well, of course _I _do, but it's the way that it looks to people on the outside," he said. I felt like I had been socked in the gut.

"So what you're saying is that everyone is going to think I'm some kind of murderer now?" I asked, my voice rising.

"No, Bella calm down. I didn't say that, but honey I'm giving you a heads up now. People around here who know what has happened won't think that you're innocent, but what matters is that I know that you are and so does everyone up at the station. And also, if people start giving you a hard time tell me. I won't have any of that."

I leaned against the counter and felt the tears begin to leak out of my eyes before I could catch them. I dropped my face into my hands and my shoulders began to shake. This was all becoming too much. I felt warm arms go around me, which really shocked me for a moment. Charlie wasn't one for showing affection so the feeling was weird at first, but I eventually let myself relax into his arms.

"I miss Mom," I sniffled into his shirt. His arms tightened.

"I know honey. I miss her, too."

I don't know where the anger came from, but it burst from me without warning.

"You can't miss her! You were never even there!" Somewhere inside me I knew that what I was saying was wrong. I was lashing out, but I didn't care. I deserved to after all that had happened to me in the past month. There was too much on my shoulders and it was wearing me down.

"If you really missed her you wouldn't have just given up on her! You would have fought and chased after her when she left with me all those years ago. You would have stopped at nothing until you had her back and then maybe she wouldn't have moved to Colorado and she wouldn't have been on that icy road that day and she wouldn't be dead!" I screamed.

"Oh baby… Bells it just wasn't that simple." His voice was quiet, but I could hear how hurt he was by my words.

I didn't care. I pushed my way out of his arms. I started slamming dishes into the sink.

"Bella, there's something that I need to tell you," Charlie said quietly. "I haven't been completely honest with you."

I shook my head. "I really don't want to hear it. I took a quick look at the clock. It was just about seven. "I need to get ready for school." I said and brushed past him.

"Bella!"

I ignored him as I rushed up the stairs and into the bathroom. I took a shower that was probably three minutes long. I took the dryer through my hair quickly, not really caring how it looked before I pulled it up into a tight bun at the top of my head. I layered a sweater on top of a tank and paired it with a pair of dark skinny jeans and boots. I slapped on a bit of lip-gloss and a few coats of mascara.

I grabbed my coat, scarf, and book bag and went downstairs to find Charlie cleaning up in the kitchen. I started to tell him to just leave it and go to bed, but before I could a car horn sounded from outside.

"Is that Edward?" Charlie asked.

"Yeah. I'm riding to school with him today. Is that okay?'

He looked like he wanted to protest, but he just nodded.

"Good. Well, I'll see you later. Get some rest. You need it."

"Yeah," he answered simply.

I rushed outside, narrowly avoiding slipping on the ice that covered the steps. I may have slammed Edward's car door a little too hard because he looked over at me with questioning eyes.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Are you sure? You seem a bit tense."

"I said I'm fine Edward," I said a little harsher than necessary.

"Okay," he said simply and pulled out of the driveway.

"Where is Alice? Is she okay?" I asked as well pulled into the school lot and I noticed that her car was missing.

"She's taking the rest of the week of per Esme's demand."

"I'm sure that went over well," I said.

"Yeah. You should have seen the look on her face when she bounced downstairs this morning all dressed up and ready for school, only to have Esme turn her around. I honestly thought that she was going to start crying."

I laughed a little.

"Bella?" he said, more seriously. "Are you sure that everything is alright?"

"Yes. Me and Charlie just exchanged a few heated words this morning, that's all." Well I said all the heated words; I barely let Charlie get one word in.

"What kind of words exactly?"

"About my Mom, but I'm over it now, really." I was nowhere near over it.

"Okay." He seemed to know not to push further.

I sighed. "I have a feeling that today is going to be rough."

"Don't worry about anyone in there. They have the slightest clue what you're going through—what you've gone through. Just ignore them."

"That's easier said than done, isn't it?" I said a little sourly.

"You'll be fine," he said and leaned over to kiss my cheek. "Let's go."

I sighed and started to get out of the car, but Edward stopped me.

"Wait," he said.

"What?" I turned back to him, confused.

He reached up and pulled the bun atop my head loose so that my hair fell down around my shoulders in waves.

"I like your hair better this way," he said with that sexy smirk that absolutely drove me crazy.

We made it to class a few seconds before the bell rang, so the classroom was already full. It was obvious that everyone was talking, but as soon as Edward and I walked in all the noise ceased and every head turned in our direction. They weren't looking at Edward, though. No, every accusing eye was trained on me.

I kind of folded in on myself. I felt Edward put his arm around my shoulders. He pulled me close to him and led me to the back of the classroom to the only two seats left. Once we were in our seats everyone slowly went back to their previous conversations, although I somehow knew that my name would now be apart of them. it probably already was.

The sub that we had was a little old lady that couldn't hear to save her life. She shakily passed around the assignment sheet that Mrs. Grey had left for us. After about thirty minutes of class I heard a round of giggles coming from the front of the classroom. I looked up to see Jessica and Tanya looking my way. They averted their eyes when I made eye contact.

Great. Just what I need: Tanya turning people against me. Not that I really considered Jessica to be a true friend of mine, but at least she had been nice to me the fist few days I was here.

I pulled out my phone and shot a text to Edward who was next to me glaring in the direction of Jessica and Tanya.

**~ I'm going to the bathroom… and calm down, your jaw looks like it's about to crack off. –B. ~**

He laughed quietly, but then turned to look at me. There was a worried look in his eyes. I knew what he was thinking. I sent him another text.

**~ I won't be long and I won't go wandering. I promise. –B. ~**

He nodded stiffly, but I could tell that he was still worried. Mrs. White, the sweet old lady that was subbing us let me go without an argument.

Once I was done in the bathroom I started to make my way straight back to the classroom. I was walking past the lockers when I heard my name being called. The voice was definitely male. I started to keep walking, but I figured that would be rude.

I turned and saw Mike Newton walking towards me. I didn't know Mike well. I had only heard most of what I did know about him from Jessica who was head over heels in love with the guy. Mike had spoken to me a few times since I'd been here. He was the very overly friendly type. You know the type that didn't know how to take a polite 'no' for an answer. He had attempted to ask me out twice already and I had politely reclined. I knew how Jessica felt about him and I really didn't want to have her out to get my head on a stick. I had the feeling that she was capable of being just as cold as Tanya.

"Mike?"

He jogged up to me quickly. "Hey I saw you walking and thought I'd stop you."

"What can I do for you?"

"I was wondering if you had a date to Tyler's party Friday." And here we go again.

"Why do you assume that I'm going to Tyler's party?" I asked. I was a bit annoyed, but I tried not to let it show.

"I wasn't, I just…" he trailed off, looking embarrassed.

"Actually, I am going, but I'll be there with Edward."

"Oh so you two really are dating?" he asked.

Were we? Were Edward and I officially dating? I mean, we had yet to go on a real date, but that would surely be rectified this weekend. I had never really though about it. Edward had never said anything about us being official. I decided to just go with it.

"Yes, we are. I thought that you and Jessica kind of had a thing."

He sighed and shrugged. "Well we talk every now and then, but it's nothing serious."

"She likes you a lot. Take her, I know she'll appreciate it."

He started to pull at the collar of his shirt nervously. That's when I noticed a few angry red scars at his collarbone. It looked like he had been scratched—hard. I also noticed that he was missing a button on his shirt and that the collar was ripped a bit.

"What happened?" I gestured towards the scar and his shirt.

"Oh! It was just fooling around with this girl and—"

"Say no more," I said, cutting him off. "Seriously though, take Jessica to the party. She'd love it." I didn't really know why I was looking out for Jessica when it was obvious from her behavior in class that she was turning on me and didn't really deserve my help. But I had always been brought up with my mother constantly telling me, "Remember, Isabella, always treat others the way you want to be treated, no matter what they do to you. God created karma for a reason."

She always called me Isabella instead of just Bella. She was the only one who I didn't mind doing it.

"Look Mike, I need to get back to class."

He nodded. "Okay, well see you around Bella."

"Yeah, see you."

When I walked back into the classroom I didn't pay attention to anyone, but Edward. The look of relief on his face when he saw me made me smile. It was at that moment that I realized exactly how hard I was falling for Edward Masen.

* * *

><p>The rest of the day passed by fairly quickly, although there were a few minor hiccups. Namely, Jessica. She was very cold towards me during Spanish. She didn't speak to me when I greeted her. She didn't even share the table with me in study hall, which had been moved to the far opposite side of the library so that the Police could start on their investigation. I had to admit that being back in the library gave me chills. A new librarian sat behind the desk. She was way younger than the old one. She looked like she could be in her late twenties to early thirties. She had shiny black hair that was a straight as a board and striking blue eyes. When I had first entered the library, her eyes had appraised me icily. I didn't think much of it at the time.<p>

During lunch Edward asked me if I wanted to come over to his house after school. I gladly accepted the invite. I really wanted to see Alice. I needed to see with my own eyes that she was okay.

Esme practically assaulted me when I walked through the door with Edward. She pulled me into a tight hug and it took Edward and eventually Alice to pull her off of me.

I don't know what I expected when I saw Alice, but I definitely did not expect myself to burst into tears.

"Oh Bella! Don't cry," she said as she pulled me into a hug. "I'm fine."

"I know. I just feel so bad. I feel like all of this is my fault."

"Bella, nothing is your fault. I knew that we were supposed to be in the cafeteria, but I was the hard-headed one and stayed in the library alone instead."

I nodded.

"Come on. Let's go up to my room and talk, yeah?" she asked.

"Alice! Bella is my company. You can't just steal her," Edward pouted.

"Oh hush Edward. I won't keep her forever."

Edward actually huffed.

"Edward honey, I need you to help me move a few things into the garage," Esme called out.

Alice stuck her tongue out. "Now I can have Bella all to myself. She'll be all yours when you're done helping Mom."

Edward rolled his eyes and kissed me on the cheek. "Don't let her corrupt your mind Bella."

"Shut it Edward and go help Mom."

I laughed and followed Alice upstairs to her bedroom, which was impeccably neat and clean. It made my room look like a dump and I did a pretty good job at keeping it clean.

"So how are you feeling?" I asked one we were settled onto her bed.

"I'm fine Bella. I feel just as I would any other day and this cut on my head doesn't even hurt. I don't even know why Mom made me stay home. She's making me stay home for the rest of the week you know? Can you believe that?! But she is not stopping me from going to Tyler's party Friday night. I finally got a date with Jasper Whitlock and I am not missing it. Even if I have to sneak out through the window."

I laughed. She really was a bit of a firebomb.

"So speaking of Jasper, has he checked in on you?"

Her face visibly lit up. "Oh my God, Bella! He came by this morning to visit me before going to school. He even brought me flowers! Expensive flowers." She gestured to her dresser, which held a ridiculously large amount of pink and white orchids.

"Very, very nice," I commented.

"I know! He is so sweet. I just can't wait til Friday!" she said happily while clapping her hands together.

We were quiet for a split second before I spoke. "Alice?"

"Hmm?" she said, looking away from the flowers.

"What exactly happened in the library yesterday? How did you get knocked out?"

Her face went a little pale. "I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"Exactly what I said, I don't know. I was just going through some old news clippings to help with a piece I'm doing in the yearbook when my phone vibrated in my purse. I went to answer it, but before I could everything went black."

"That's it?"

"Yeah and then the next thing I remember is waking up to the sound of your voice."

"Are you sure you don't remember anything else?" Like the fact that there was a creepy girl in the library with you who looked exactly like me, but wasn't actually me.

"Yes, I'm sure."

"You don't even remember what you were reading?" I asked. I didn't remember seeing any news clippings on the table when I was looking for Alice the night before.

"No, I don't."

"Well, what about the librarian?"

She visibly shivered. "She must have died after I was knocked out because she was just fine when I first got to the library."

"Well, what do the police think? Do they know who could have done this?" I knew that I could probably ask Charlie and get some answers, but I wanted to hear it form Alice first.

"They wouldn't tell me or my parents anything. They claim that they don't have enough evidence to pin the blame on anyone yet, but I don't really believe them," she said quietly, her eyes downcast.

"Maybe I could talk to Charlie and try to find something out," I said absently.

"Honestly Bella, as much as I would appreciate that, please don't go digging. I don't know why, but I have a feeling that you won't like what you fine out."

"Well, I can't just sit and do nothing, Alice! It seems like every time something goes wrong, I'm somewhere around and I can't just sit with that."

"Bella please, just let your dad do his job. You just got here and you've been through so much already. Just leave it alone, please," she pleaded with big eyes.

I wanted to argue, but I didn't want to cause her any more stress and she looked tired.

I sighed. "You look exhausted Alice. I'm gonna let you get some rest okay?"

She nods and the wraps her arms around me. "This may sound weird and creep, but I love you already Bella and I don't want to see you get hurt."

I tightened my arms around her. "I love you too, Alice." And as I said it, I knew that it was true.

At that moment, as of he had been listening in on our conversation, Edward knocked on the door and came in.

"Okay Alice, you've had your fun. Could I please have my girlfriend back now?" he asked.

My eyes widened and I heard Alice snicker beside me. Did Edward really just call me his girlfriend? I was absolutely speechless.

"Oh Eddie, she's all yours."

He rolled his eyes at Alice's nickname for him.

"Get some rest Alice," I said as I got up and took Edward's hand.

"You betcha."

Edward led me up to the next floor and to his bedroom. My mind was still reeling from his earlier comment. Once inside his room he closed the door and led me over to a black leather couch in the corner of his room. He must have noticed how unusually quiet I was because once we sat down he asked me what was wrong.

"I'm fine. I'm more than fine, actually," I said with a huge smile.

"What do you seem so happy about?" He was clearly oblivious to what he had said in Alice's bedroom.

"Edward you called me your girlfriend."

He furrowed his brows a bit. "Did I?" he asked.

I nodded.

"I didn't realize it…"

He looked a bit shocked himself.

"Am I—I mean do you consider me to be your… girlfriend?" I asked quietly, my eyes on my knees.

I felt his hand brush my hair back from my face and come up to brush my cheek. I looked at him and there was a small smirk on his face.

"Is that what you consider yourself to be? Is that what you want? To be my girlfriend?"

Was he really leaving the choice up to me? I didn't know how to respond. What if I said yes and then he wasn't ready? But then what if I said no and he thought I was pushing his away?

"I can literally see the wheels turning over in your head," Edward said with a chuckle.

I smiled.

"But if you don't want that, if you think it would be moving too fast then we don't have to put an official name on it. I'm happy with the way we are now Bella," he said and I knew that he was being completely honest. But if I were being honest with myself, there was a big part of me that really wanted nothing more than to be Bella's girlfriend.

"I think, that I would very much love to be your girlfriend Edward."

His smile was brilliant and I was surprised that it didn't light up the entire room.

I made the first move this time. I slid closer to him on the couch and laced my fingers through his silky hair. My lips covered his in an instant. He seemed just as eager as I was. His hands went straight to my waist, his arms wrapped around me. The warmth that radiated from him was beyond blissful. I felt his tongue slip out and touch my bottom lip. I don't know if it was the feel of his tongue on my mouth or my recent newfound bravery, but suddenly I found myself straddling his lap, my arms wrapped tightly around his neck. His mouth worked against mine in a frenzy and I suddenly found that it was way too hot in the room.

Before I could chicken out or mentally talk myself out of it, I reached down and gripped the hem of my sweater and pulled it up and over my head, leaving me in only the thin tank top I wore underneath. Edward's eyes looked over me with fire in them. This only spurred me on more. My hands went under his shirt as our lips connected again. His hands went to my hips and caressed the skin that was exposed between my tank top and my jeans. Goosebumps rose on every inch of my skin when I felt his fingertips ghost over my lower back.

I was in desperate need of air, so I tore my mouth from his only to have his lips go directly to the overheated skin of my neck. I was so lost in the feeling, that I wasn't even the least but embarrassed when a low moan escaped from the back of my throat.

It was at that exact moment that a knock sounded on Edward's door.

"Edward, Bella?" I heard Esme's voice come from the other side of the door.

Edward cursed under his breath. "Yeah Mom?" he called out between ragged breaths.

"I made some sandwiches, if the two of you are hungry," she replied sweetly.

"Thanks, we'll be right down."

I heard Esme's heel retreat.

"Maybe we should break this up before it goes too far," Edward whispered into my neck.

I shivered.

"Yeah, I think that would be a good idea, plus I am kind of hungry," I admit with a small chuckle.

"Come on, let's go."

I removed myself from his lap, pulled my sweater back on, and followed him down to the kitchen, my skin still on fire from our heated make out session.

* * *

><p>"Bella, you are not wearing that!" Alice almost screeched.<p>

"What's wrong with what I have on?" I asked.

"You're going to a party, not a study session at the library," she griped.

It was Friday night and we were in my bedroom. My floor was littered with clothing that Alice had so graciously thrown from my closet in a desperate attempt to find me an outfit to wear to Tyler's party.

I, for one, saw nothing wrong with what I had on. A dark pair of skinny jeans and a think dark blue sweater that hung off the shoulders a little and my favorite black ankle boots. I thought it was rather appropriate. Much more appropriate for this weather than what Alice had on.

She was wearing a tight, fitted dark red skirt that stopped just above her stocking-clad knees. Her top was silky and black and the sleeves stopped just below her elbows and it cling to her like a second skin. It was all paired with black ankle boots with a five inch heel; shoes that I would have surely broken my neck in. I honestly didn't see how she even stepped outside without freezing solid right on the spot. I mean the snow from the beginning of the week was mostly gone, but the temperature was still way too low for her to be wearing what she was.

"Well, I happen to not want to freeze to death."

She rolled her eyes. "The party will be held inside Bella." She had a point, but I wouldn't admit that to her. "Now, don't you have nay skirts?"

"No, I do not."

She looked genuinely horrified. "Well, we have to find something, because what you have on just will not do."

I only sighed and sank onto my bed, not really wanting to argue with her about something as stupid as an outfit. At the moment I was kind of wishing that Esme had forced her to stay home. All it took was three whole days of Alice constantly begging and pleading on a nonstop cycle for Esme to eventually give in. Though I was willing to bet that Esme only said yes to shut Alice up. I didn't blame her.

"Ooh, what do we have here?" she said, her voice muffled because her face was stuffed halfway to the back of my closet. She finally made her way back out and in her hand she held a peachy colored sweater dress with a light brown belt wrapped around it.

Dammit! I had forgotten about those dresses. I had about six more like the one Alice was currently holding up, all in different colors. My mother had bought them for me and I never had any intention of wearing them. They just weren't my style and my mother had known that when she bought them.

"You'll wear this!"

"Alice, no. I don't do dressed unless I absolutely have no other choice."

"Well, you have no other choice tonight. So quit complaining," she said and made her way over to my underwear drawer.

"Alice, what on earth are you doing?"

"Here we are." A pair of black, footed tights dangled from her fingers. "Now, lets find you a pair of shoes.

"Good luck with that," I mumbled.

After about five minutes of searching, she finally gave up with a huff. "Your shoe collection sucks. I'm going have to take you shopping—Alice style. But don't worry; I have a pair of boots in my car that will go perfectly with this. Now here." She flung the clothing at me. "Go get dressed and make it snappy. It's already seven-thirty and I need to get your hair and make up done."

Geez, it was only a high school party, we weren't getting ready for prom or anything.

I groaned and stomped to the bathroom. Once the dress was on, I was pleasantly surprised by how comfortable it was. I looked myself over in the full-length mirror on the back of the bathroom door. The dress actually didn't look half bad. I wouldn't tell Alice that, though. She would certainly think she could start using me as her dress up doll.

As soon as Alice was done poking at my face and tugging my hair in all different directions, the doorbell rang. Edward was here. I tried to stand, but Alice's hands were still firmly grasped in my hair.

"Hold you horses Bella. Edward isn't going anywhere. He has Charlie down there to keep him company."

"Well that sure makes me feel a lot better," I mumbled under my breath.

Ten minutes later, my hair was all wavy and bouncy and I was walking down the stairs behind Alice. Thankfully the boots that Alice had loaned me only had a small heel, so I didn't have to worry about breaking an ankle, or worse, falling on my face.

Edward and Charlie were sitting on the couch, eyes locked on a football game. It took Alice clearing her throat to get their attention. It was funny how flustered Edward got over not noticing our entrance. Not that it was grand on anything.

"You girls look nice," Charlie commented.

"Thanks," we both said in unison.

"Bell, you look… you look amazing," Edward said as his eyes unashamedly roamed over my body. Charlie grunted, disapproving.

"Well, thank you for noticing me too, Edward," Alice grumbled sarcastically before I could respond.

I stifled a giggle.

"Alice you look very lovely as well," Edward said.

"Too late. Look I'm going to pick up Jasper. Meet us in the school lot and we'll all take your car to the party. Rose and Emmett are going on their own. They'll meet us there. Cool?" Alice asked while walking towards the front door.

"Sure," Edward replied.

"Let me just get my coat and I'll be ready," I said to Edward, once Alice had left out.

I pulled on my black trench coat and stepped back into the living room where there was an obvious awkward silence passing between Edward and Charlie.

"Ready?" Edward asked.

"Yeah. I'll see you later, Dad."

"Sure thing Bells. Be safe and don't stay out too late."

"I'll have her back at a decent time Chief Swan," Edward assured.

"Call me Charlie, son. Take care of my girl."

"I will."

"See ya, Dad."

He only grunted in response and made his way back to the couch.

Once we were out on the porch Edward grabbed my hand and spun me around to face him.

"Edward—" but before I could finish, his lips were on mine. The kiss was heated right from the start. It took my breath away. After a few seconds he pulled away.

"Wow," I breathed. "What exactly was that for?"

"You honestly have no idea how sexy you look in that dress, do you?" he asked in a low, husky voice.

I could feel my cheeks heat up with a blush.

"And I really missed you."

"You saw me in school basically all day, Edward," I said, but I was still flattered by his comment.

"I don't care. Time away from you is almost downright unbearable."

I felt my heart skip a beat. I leaned up and placed a chaste kiss on his lips before lacing my fingers through his.

"Come on. Alice will have our head if we make her late," I said to him and pulled him towards the car.

"You can't be late to a party. You get there when you get there," Edward grumbled.

I laughed. "Try telling that to Alice."

"Whatever," he huffed.

The party was in full force when we finally got there at about nine. We could have arrived a bit earlier, but as it turned out, we ended up having to wait on Alice and Jasper. They pulled in the school lot about twenty minutes after Edward and me. I didn't say anything about the few lipstick stains that littered Jasper's neck when they got in the car. It was almost kind of gross how Alice and Jasper were glued to each other the whole time, but it was still a bit sweet at the same time.

It was odd how they fit together. They were polar opposites. Jasper was this laid back southern boy from South Carolina who loved indie and country music and who also smoked a joint every now and again. Alice was this fun energetic force of nature who could not be slowed down to save her life and who thought smoked made you smell gross. But yet the two still gravitated towards each other. It was interesting to say the least.

We had been at the party for about an hour. Edward never let my side and he only let me go long enough to go to the bathroom.

"Masen!" I heard someone holler. I looked up to see a guy with chocolate brown skin and a low haircut. He had a red cup in one hand and a shot glass in the other. He wasn't very drunk, but it was obvious that he was well on his way.

"Tyler, hey. Great party, bro," Edward said.

"It's the only way I know how to do it!" Tyler's eyes then fell on me and he smirked a bit.

"You must be Bella."

"I must be." I was waiting for him to give me that cold eye that I had come accustomed to every student at Forks giving me, but his eyes looked genuinely warm.

"It's nice to finally meet you. Edward here is never able to stop talking about you in Gym."

"Tyler," Edward kind of groaned.

"What? I'm just saying that he is very taken with you, that's all," he told me.

"Is that right?" I looked at Edward and it almost looked like he was blushing.

"Anyway," Tyler continued. "You know my cousin I was telling you about?"

"Laurent?" Edward asked.

"Yeah, he's here. Why don't you come meet him?"

"Um… yeah sure." Edward turned to me. "You wanna come with? It will probably bore you, guy talk and all."

I shook my head. "Go ahead, I'll see if I can find Alice."

"I won't be long." He gave me a quick kiss before following behind Tyler.

My search for Alice was anything but successful. I checked both floors of the house including the bathrooms, but there was no sign of her… or Jasper. I shuddered when I thought of what the two of them could be up to. I settled on trying to find Rosalie and Emmett instead.

I saw them as I was coming down the stairs. They were sitting on a couch, thankfully not making out like most couples in the room seemed to be. I assumed it was safe to join them. I had almost made it to the bottom of the stairs when my path was suddenly blocked. My vision was assaulted by pressed together cleavage and long, caramel colored curls.

"Well well well, look at we have here."

I was so not in the mood for this right now. "Excuse me Tanya," I said as politely as I could manage.

"What are you doing here Isabella?" She said my name like it was a disease.

"I was invited," I said and looked her square in her heavily made up eyes.

"Invited? Please. In case you haven't noticed yet, no one wants you here _Bella._"

"Actually Tanya, you seem to be the only person who has a problem with me."

"No, I'm just the only person who isn't afraid to speak up and say what everyone else in this school and this town is thinking." Her voice was rising and she was beginning to cause a scene. Most of the people around us had turned to see what was going on.

"Tanya please don't make a scene. Just let me go by so I can find my friends."

She smirked evilly. "Speaking of friends, how are things going with Edward? Has he popped you precious little cherry yet? That's what he does best, you know." She said, her alcohol-scented breath sweeping over my face.

My breath was coming out faster. She was really pissing me off, instead of hurting my feelings like she obviously thought she was doing.

"Oh, he'll do it. He'll talk his way into your pants and once he gets what he wants, he'll leave you. That's what he did to me."

"Edward wouldn't touch you with a ten-foot pole. Get over it Tanya, you were never his and you never will be," I spat out.

She laughed. It was a loud, cackling sound. Was she completely insane? "You better get out while you can Bella. All you've done since you've been here is cause trouble. You know Lauren still can't get out of bed because of what you did to her brother? Come to think of it, why are you still walking free? Oh, I get it. You think that just because your daddy is the head cop? Well let me—"

"Tanya, why don't you just shove it already?" I heard Rosalie say. I only then realized that the music had lowered. All eyes were on us. "Move out of the way and let Bella through or I will gladly move you myself."

Tanya looked like she wanted to say something, but thought better of it. She stepped only halfway out of my way. I was very tempted to just push her, but that would only make matters worse.

"Are you okay?" Rose asked.

"Yeah." No. I wanted to go home. "Have you seen Edward?"

"I think he's outside. I'll go get him. Emmett will stay here with you while I go."

I hadn't even noticed that Emmett was standing next to me. "Don't worry little Bells. No one's messing with you while I'm here," he said and crossed his arms over his chest menacingly.

It only took seconds before Edward was at my side.

"What happened? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Don't worry about it."

"Where is Tanya?" he asked.

"No Edward. Don't go looking for her; it will only cause more trouble. Just take me home, please."

"Sure, I'll call Alice and tell her to catch a ride back with Emmett and Rose."

"Okay."

He led me through the party, which had resumed its normal activity as if nothing had happened. Edward let Alice know that we were leaving. I could hear her screeching through the phone after Edward told her what had happened.

The ride back to my house was quiet. I could tell that Edward wanted to talk about what had went down back at Tyler's, but he seemed to know better than to bring it up. I was still seething a bit over what Tanya had said. How dare she try to accuse me of getting away with something just 'because my dad was a cop'? She was insanely ridiculous.

The porch light was still on when we pulled up and the kitchen light shone through the window. Charlie was still up. I looked at the clock on the dash. It was almost eleven-thirty. Pretty early to be home from a high school party. I sighed into the silence.

"I never should have taken you to that party. I should have known better."

"Don't go blaming yourself Edward. Tanya would have found another opportunity to harass me even if she hadn't gotten a hold of me at the party."

"Are you mad at me?" he asked. His voice sounded small.

I turned to him and put my palm to his cheek. "No Edward. I'm not mad at you… but I am a bit tired. I'm gonna get going."

He nodded. He still looked a bit down so I leaned over and kissed him with every ounce of energy that I had, just to let him know that I really wasn't mad at him.

"I'm not mad at you. I promise."

He smiled. "Are we still on for tomorrow night?" he asked.

"Of course. Seven?"

"Seven," he agreed.

"I'll see you tomorrow."

Edward waited until I was safely inside the house before pulling off.

"Bella is that you?" Charlie called.

"Yeah, Dad."

"You're home pretty early."

I went to the closet to put my coat away.

"Uh, yeah. Alice caught a headache so we left early," I lied.

I walked into the kitchen to find Charlie hunched over a table full of papers.

"Working late?" I asked.

"Yeah some new evidence was found regarding the Mallory boy's case. I've been going over this stuff for the past three hours and I'm still coming up blank. Nothing seems to connect. I honestly don't even know what to think of this anymore."

"Maybe you should get some rest and start fresh in the morning."

"Yeah, you're probably right," he said as he rose from the chair. "Goodnight Bells." He kissed the top of my head on his way out of the kitchen.

"Goodnight Dad."

I waited until I heard his door close before going over to the table. I looked over the stacks of papers, but all the small words ran together, giving me a headache.

I noticed a zip-lock bag peeking from under a larger stack of papers. I pulled it from under the pile and looked over the contents inside without opening the bag. Inside was what looked like a button that could have come from a shirt and a torn piece of red and black plaid fabric. It didn't make sense to me, but something was tugging at the back of my mind, a memory—tugging. I couldn't put my finger on it.

I sighed and rubbed at my forehead. I wanted nothing more than to curl up under my covers and sleep. I went to the refrigerator and got a bottle of water and went upstairs. Once my teeth were brushed and my face washed, I was under the covers. I shot a goodnight text to Edward and settled into my pillow.

I was just starting to doze off when my eyes suddenly snapped open. I jumped out of bed and ran downstairs to the kitchen as quietly as I could. I picked up the zip-lock bag from the table and examined the evidence inside again.

I suddenly knew what that tugging memory was at the back of my mind. The evidence looked familiar because I had seen it somewhere else before.

Mike Newton.

I remembered talking to him in school the other day at school. I remembered noticing how the button on his shirt was missing and how the fabric on the collar of his was ripped. It was the was the same black and red plaid fabric that was now in the bag of evidence I was holding.

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><p><strong>Chapter End Notes:<strong>

**There you have it! As usual, specialty is leaving you with more questions. I know, it seems mean, but personally, I think it keeps things interesting. And it keeps you coming back for more! But seriously thanks for reading.**

**I was originally going to add Edward and Bella's first date in this chapter, but it was starting to run too long. Not to worry, E and B's first date will be in the next chapter!**

**As always, please review and tell me what you think!**

**-XoXo BlckSwnn**


	12. Chapter 11

Hello again! So this update took longer than I thought it would, but I buckled down and got it done. Enjoy! :-)

So sorry for the wait...

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><p>Chapter 11<p>

The loud sizzling of the bacon frying in the pan didn't distract my thoughts like I hoped it would. No, my mind was still running a hundred miles a minute. Much like it had all night long the night before. I don't think I had ever slept so terribly. Not even the nightmares that had plagued me for the last few weeks affected me like this was affecting me.

I glanced briefly at the kitchen table and a chill ran up my spine.

The table was still cluttered with papers and the evidence that was recently discovered. I averted my eyes quickly and focused back on the bacon that I was trying not to burn.

After a fitful night of sleep I had woken up with a headache. I'd thought back to the dream I'd had the night before—well make that nightmare—where I had watched helplessly as Mike Newton brutally murdered Lauren's brother before he did the same to Charlie, and then the Cullens, leaving Edward for last. I had kicked and screamed all to no avail as I had watched the life drain from their eyes. I'd woken up out of breath just as Mike was turning towards me waving a bloody knife in my direction.

It had barely been five a.m. when I woke up from the terrible dream. I had instantly tried to do everything I could to keep from thinking of the nightmare. I had cleaned my room, started a load of laundry, and took a shower, but none of it had helped one bit. Because I just kept seeing Edward's beautiful green eyes—eyes I had come to love—slowly fade of any life at all; they were just dull. Dead eyes.

So I had decided to come downstairs and make Charlie breakfast. He had the day off so I decided to have breakfast waiting for him when he woke up. Cooking always cleared my mind because I knew I had to focus solely on putting together ingredients correctly, setting proper temperatures and trying not to overcook or burn anything. It had worked for a bit, but not long enough. As soon as I was done with the French toast I had made and had started on the bacon the thoughts I was trying to keep down, knocked against my skull hinting at another headache. It didn't take much to cook bacon so that meant my mind was free to wander.

Eventually the grease popping me on my skin pulled me away from my thoughts. I pulled the bacon form the pan and quickly started on eggs.

I was sliding the last omelet from the pan when I heard Charlie coming downstairs. I grabbed a plate and started filling it with food.

"Morning," Charlie greeted while pouring himself a cup of coffee.

"Good morning. Sleep well?" I asked.

"Meh," Charlie replied. "Could have been better."

Sounded like we were in the same boat. I didn't tell Charlie that though; it would only cause him to worry. I set down a plate in front of him.

"Looks great Bells," he commented.

"Thanks. Juice?" I asked.

"Mm, no thanks," he said around a mouth full of food. I served myself up a plate, but not as hardy as the one I fixed for Charlie. I barely had an appetite.

I noticed when Charlie started fumbling with the papers on the table.

"Think you'll get anywhere today?" I asked gesturing to the stacks.

He shrugged and sighed. "I don't know Bells. Hopefully, but it just seems like this case is going nowhere fast."

"But you found new evidence?" I stated as a question.

"I know, but we still had no leads. I mean we could have the evidence examined, but with no leads and no suspects we'd basically still be getting nowhere."

I was battling with myself. Should I tell him what I thought of the evidence? If I did would he be angry with me for snooping when I wasn't supposed to be? Would he even believe what I told him? And then another question popped into my head, one I hadn't even considered until now.

Did I even believe me? When I had looked at the evidence the night before I had been so sure. My mind had instantly connected to Mike and the way that I had seen his shirt torn when we were talking in school the other day. I had just instantly connected the dots. But did I connect them too soon? It was a definite possibility that Mike was not the only one who had a shirt like that. But what were the chances—if someone did own the same shirt—of that shirt being ripped the exact same way that Mike's was ripped. I knew the chances were very slim. So why couldn't I just open my mouth and tell Charlie what I thought? I wanted to talk to Mike first—to see if I could casually bring up Lauren's brother, maybe I'd get some sort of reaction that I could go on. I just didn't want to accuse him of something and get him possibly thrown in jail if there was some other explanation. I decided to keep what I knew to myself for the time being. Just until I could talk to Mike. It was probably very stupid of me to keep something like this to myself, but it was just too much information to process over one night—one night that was filled with gruesome nightmares, which made my thought process no better.

"Well, maybe you'll find something that can possibly pin this to someone. Don't give up," I said and felt horrible.

"I don't want to give up but most of the time when cases start playing out like this they eventually run cold."

We sat in silence for a few minutes before he spoke up again. "I'm going to run down to the station for a bit."

"I thought you had the day off."

"I do, I just work better with things like this when I'm in my office and it also wouldn't hurt to get a second opinion from one of the boys down there."

He stood up and went over to the sink to clean his plate. Once he was done he gathered up the things from the table, grabbed his coat and keys and headed out the door. Once I heard the cruiser crank up and pull out I realized that I was left alone with nothing to do for the rest of the day. Nothing to keep my mind busy; so I set about doing what I did best when I was trying not to think too much. I cleaned. I practically cleaned the whole house, top to bottom—I even went as far as rearranging every single item in the cupboards and pantry. When I was done I looked at the clock only to find out that it was barely one-thirty.

I sighed. The house was eerily quiet and every task that I could have done was finished. I could watch television or even read, but I knew I wouldn't be able to pay attention for long.

I went upstairs and plopped face down on my bed and instantly wondered what Edward was doing. I wanted to see him, but our first date was tonight and I didn't want to seem too needy for his company. Besides, I would be seeing him in a few hours anyway. With that thought I went to my closet to attempt to find something to wear for said date. I just stood there and stared at the clothes before giving up and falling back down on the bed. Who was I kidding? I was no good at picking out outfits for occasions like this. And then it hit me. I knew exactly what to do to pass the time.

I picked up my phone and dialed Alice.

* * *

><p>"I'm so glad you called Bella," Alice said as we pulled up to park in front of a clothing store named 'Elegance'.<p>

"Well, you are the expert on things like this and this is my first date with your brother. I want to look nice."

"Well you thought wisely. My brother won't be able to take his eyes or his hands off of you once I'm done with you," she said with a giggle.

We were in Port Angeles shopping for me an outfit for tonight. After I called Alice and asked her to come along to help me she was in my front yard practically five minutes after we had hung up. So yeah, she was excited; maybe even a little more excited than I was.

Once we were inside the store she pulled me straight towards the back. It was obvious that she knew the store well by the way she knew exactly what section suited me best. And I had to admit the clothes were stunning. They were dressy, but not overly so. Perfect clothes for a first date.

"Here." Alice flung an armful of clothes at me. "Go try these on."

"Uh, Alice, can't I look and see if I like something before you start deciding for me?"

She laughed. "Silly Bella. This is what I do best. Now get in the dressing room and try them on," she demanded playfully.

After trying on the four outfits she had thrown at me and deciding that none of them would do, we continued our search through the racks of clothing. I was just about to give up when I spotted black lace peeking from between two lime green shirts. It was as if the shirt was peeking out at me alone, beckoning me to take it off the rack. When I pulled it out I was absolutely sure that I had found the perfect shirt. It was all black lace with a high neckline and it was lined underneath with sheer nude fabric.

"Oh wow," I heard Alice say. "That's hot! That's THE ONE!" She was looking at the shirt I was holding with a big grin on her face. "I couldn't have made a better decision myself. So what are you going to pair it with? A skirt or jeans?"

"Jeans definitely. I don't want to push it with this weather two nights in a row."

"Then I know the perfect ones. This store keeps them in stock because they are best sellers and you'll see why." She hopped off and came back a few seconds later with what appeared to be a plain pair of dark jeans.

"And what's so special about these? They look pretty ordinary to me."

"Like I said, you'll see when you put them on," she said as she shoved the pants at me.

They were the strangest texture. They didn't feel like jeans but they were also too sturdy to be made of cotton. I went into the dressing room and when I had the outfit on I knew that this was the one. And I also found out why Alice insisted on these pants. They clung to me like a second skin making my legs and butt look stellar.

"Awesome, right?" I heard Alice say as if she could sense my reaction from outside of the dressing room.

"More than awesome."

Once we were done shopping, we grabbed some frozen yogurt and headed back home. It was nearing five when we pulled up in my driveway. Charlie's cruiser was back and I was relieved that I wouldn't have to be alone in the house again. Being alone didn't appeal to me much lately.

"Well, I would stay and help you get ready, but I have to help Edward with a few things. So have fun on your date and tell me all about it later."

"Wait, do you know where he's taking me?" I asked, hoping to get a hint.

"No can do. I promised Edward that I wouldn't say a word. So you'll just have to wait and see."

I made a sour face at her. "You suck."

I waited until she was in her car and safely down the road before I went inside.

"Dad?" I called out.

"In here," he called from the living room. He was laid back in his recliner watching a football game.

"Long day?" I asked.

"Extremely."

"Get much done?"

"No more than I got done last night."

He looked kind of defeated and I felt extremely guilty for holding the information that I had in. I decided then and there that I had to tell him.

"Uh, Dad?"

"Yeah?" he asked, not taking his eyes away from the TV.

"There's something that I need to tell you about—" but the phone ringing in the kitchen abruptly cut me off.

"Hold that thought, would ya?" He got up and went to answer it. "Charlie Swan," he greeted. "Wait, what happened?….. How long ago was it?…. Was anyone there when it happened?"

Listening from this end of the conversation it seemed like something was going on. What? I had no clue.

"Okay and the cameras didn't catch anything?… Okay I'll be there in ten minutes."

Charlie came back into the living room and flipped the TV off before going over to the closet to pull out his police jacket.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"There was a break in down at Library. I'm gonna go check it out."

"Any idea who it could have been?"

"No the cameras didn't catch anyone, but they said that the archived section was pretty ransacked."

"Well, be careful."

"Always am Bella."

"How long will you be gone?" I asked.

"Who knows? I may have to go down to the station when I leave the library. So don't wait up."

"I'll be with Edward," I blurted out. "We uh, we have a date tonight."

"Didn't the two of you just go out last night?" he asked sternly.

"Yeah, but it was just to a party and were with friends so it wasn't actually a date."

"Well, don't stay out too late and be careful."

"I will."

He was heading for the door before he turned around to face me again. "What was it that you had to tell me again?" he asked.

It was only then that I remembered that I was about to tell Charlie about Mike before being interrupted by the phone. My opportunity was now lost because Charlie had business he had to take care of. I didn't know how long he would be gone so I just decided I would tell him tomorrow. I couldn't put it off much longer.

"Oh, we can talk about it tomorrow. You should get to the library to see what happened."

"Okay. See ya Bells," he said before rushing out the door.

I sighed and headed for my room. I had just a little over an hour to get ready. I showered quickly before styling my hair in loose curls and pinning the top portion up. My make up consisted of mascara, lip gloss, and a tiny amount of blush to the apples of my cheeks. I was stepping into my black boots when the doorbell rang. I quickly zipped the boots up, looked myself over in the mirror, and bounded down the stairs.

When I opened the door I was nearly knocked off my feet. There stood Edward looking like he had stepped off the cover of GQ magazine. Under his coat he had on a simple black dress shirt, the first few buttons were undone and I could see a light sprinkling of chest hair which was indeed the sexiest thing I think I had ever seen. The shirt was paired with black casual jeans—only Edward could pull off jeans and a dress shirt so classily. He was outright gorgeous, his cheeks and full lips flushed from the cold, his copper hair in a sexy disarray.

I think I downright drooled at the sight of him.

"Edward," I said breathlessly. "You look… wow." I couldn't even form words for how good he looked at that moment.

He chuckled. "Well thank you, but I must say that I have some very dangerous competition because Bella, baby you look absolutely stunning."

My breath hitched. He had never called me 'baby' before and I absolutely loved the way it sounded coming from his lips. I could feel my face heat up; maybe I shouldn't have put on any blush I'm sure the one I was sporting now would put any makeup to shame.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked.

I nodded. "Let me just grab my coat and we can get going." I turned to get my coat from the hall closet and when I turned around I was pretty sure that I had caught Edward checking me out. I decided to call him out on it.

"Like what you see?" I teased.

"Bella you have no idea," he said, his voice low and deep, smooth like velvet. I shivered a bit and shook my head a little to clear my head of the thoughts that were quickly going straight to the gutter.

"Ready to go," I said with a smile and he led me out to his car.

"So where are we going?" I asked, knowing he wouldn't tell me, but I had to try anyway.

"Still fishing for a clue, I see," he said with a smirk.

I was sure that Alice had told him about my nosiness earlier. "Just curious," I replied.

"You'll see soon enough beautiful."

We rode in comfortable silence until we finally pulled up in his driveway, which left me confused.

"Why are we at your house?" I asked.

"This is where our date will be taking place," he replied.

That was when I noticed that all of the cars were gone. Carlisle's black Mercedes was absent as was Alice's Porsche. When we got inside the house it was incredibly quiet and all the lights were out.

"Where is everyone?" I asked.

"Carlisle had some sort of medical conference dinner in Seattle and Esme went with him and they won't be back until tomorrow afternoon. And Alice is out with Jasper. So we have the entire house to ourselves," he said and I could hear the sly little smirk in his voice.

"Hmm, smooth aren't you?" I joked.

He chuckled. "I am nothing if not thorough."

"So what do you have planned for tonight," I asked as he took my coat and hung it up. He ran his fingers lightly down my bare arms and I shivered. "If you don't stop that we'll be spending this whole date making out on the couch," I said.

"That is perfectly fine by me," said.

I giggled. "But as tempting as that might be, I assume you have something planned and I don't want all of your hard work to go to waste."

"Very well," he said. "Follow me." He grabbed my hand and led me into their immaculate and spacious dining room. I gasped at what I saw.

The end of the dining table closest to us was set up with a deep plum colored tablecloth. On top was a beautiful and obviously antique silver candelabrum that held three candles. The candlelight glowed upon to plates set up filled with the most delicious looking lasagna and salad that I had ever seen.

"Edward, this is beautiful. You must have been at this all day."

"Well, Alice helped me with most of the decorative elements; she actually set this up when I went to pick you up," he gestured to the table. "And my mom helped me with the food, seeing as I can't cook." He chuckled. "But it was all my idea."

"Well it's lovely. I must say that this is already turning out to be a perfect first date. Shall we?" I gestured to the table.

"After you," he said and pulled my chair out for me to sit.

"This is seriously really nice Edward. I know I've said it already, but I think you definitely deserve the praise."

"Well, I did it all for you, so it wasn't any trouble at all."

I smiled at him before tucking in to my lasagna, which was hands down the best lasagna I had ever tasted. I think I may have moaned out loud to which Edward chuckled.

"That good, huh?" he asked with a smirk.

"You have no idea. I've never had lasagna that was this good before."

"Seriously?"

"Yes. I mean I think the few times I've made it it was pretty good, but this… this is fantastic. I may have to steal Esme's recipe."

"Your uh, your mother never made things like this?" he asked and I could hear the hesitance in his voice when he spoke of my Mom. It didn't bother me as much as I thought it might and I was sure Edward's presence was the reason. For some reason he just made everything better. It was even more proof of how hard I was already falling for him.

"Uh no. My mom didn't cook much—well she didn't cook at all seeing as she could even properly boil water." I chuckled at my mother's less than stellar kitchen skills. "I always did most of the cooking which I was fine with because I loved doing it. Our roles were always kind of reversed that way."

"What do you mean?" Edward asked.

"Well with me and Renee it was always sort of like I was the mom and she was the child. She was always a bit scatter brained. She was always trying new and exciting thing which of course she would drag me along with her. Though there were quite a few things that I had to talk her out of like bungee jumping or the time when she dragged me to Arizona with the intention of going rock climbing," I explained wistfully.

"You miss her," Edward said.

"What?" I asked being instantly pulled from my trip down memory lane.

"You mom. You miss her; I can see it in your eyes," he said, his eyes burning into mine.

I nodded. "I do. I miss her so much, sometimes so much I can barely stand it, but… I know this may sound a bit strange, but sometimes I think that if it weren't for the accident that took her life then I would never had met you. I like to think that she sent you to me because she knew that I would need someone who understood me and someone who wouldn't make it hurt so much… does that even make sense?"

He smiled. It was a sad smile. "It make perfect sense to me." He reached over to my face to catch a tear that I didn't even know had fallen.

After we finished dinner Edward cleaned up and started to lead me to another part of the house—their outstanding den.

"Another part of the date?" I asked.

"Yes." I could hear the grin in his voice.

He led me into the den and gestured for me to sit on the couch, which was positioned in front of a blank wall. There were a few candles lit here and there, but nothing over the top. It was subtle yet nice, which was very me. Edward went behind the couch and I could hear him fidgeting with something and then I heard a light whirring sound, which sounded familiar in a strange way. When the wall in front of me lit up I knew why I knew the sound. It was a film projector. Edward tinkered a bit more behind me before coming to sit beside me on the couch.

"Wow, you really went all out with this," I complimented.

He shrugged. "Like I said, nothing if not thorough," he said before draping his arm around my shoulder.

"So what are we watching?" I asked. Surely he wouldn't keep that a secret either.

"One of my favorites. Dracula—the original version."

"From 1931?" I asked.

"Yep. Gotta love the classics. They set the stage. Without the classics we'd have nothing to go on."

"I can't believe this is your favorite movie," I mused.

"It's not my favorite, it's just one of them albeit very high up on my list of favorites."

"So what are your other favorites?"

"If I sat here and listed all of my favorite movies we would be sitting here long enough to have watched the movie twice," he explained to which I gaped.

"You have that many favorites? You've actually watched that many movies?" I asked in disbelief.

"I'm a bit of a movie nerd," he confessed with a chuckle.

"A bit?" I teased.

"Alright, enough making fun of me, the movie is starting."

We settled in to watch the movie, but our attention was only focused for about twenty minutes. Edward kept gliding his fingers along the back of my neck, which was making my skin heat up. I was sure that he was doing it on purpose because when I bravely grabbed his face and started to kiss him, he didn't protest one bit.

His mouth gladly invaded mine and the movie was forgotten. His lips were like silk gliding against mine and I couldn't seem to get enough. He was everywhere—his intoxicating smell, the heat coming from his body, his hands roaming all over me. I quickly climbed onto his lap. My hand slowly inched down to the buttons on his shirt. I cautiously unbuttoned one and when he didn't stop me, I finished the rest. My hands roamed over his chest, my fingers feeling the soft hair on his chest tickle my fingertips. I was sure I felt him shiver underneath my touch, which made me smile to know that I was making him feel this way. Slowly, his hands began to inch up my waist, going in a steady direction to the undersides of my breasts. He stopped when he was right underneath, silently asking for my permission. I nodded and he wasted no time moving his hands to gently cup my breast. I broke away from his mouth to catch my breath and his lips instantly went to my neck and my fingers went to his hair, which was already pretty much disheveled.

I could feel the very prominent bulge in his pants underneath me and the feel of it made my skin heat up even more. I didn't know where my bravery was coming from, but before I knew it, I was lightly moving my hips. I didn't know where this needy feeling was coming from, but I just wanted so desperately to feel more of him. He moaned into my neck and I pressed my hips down a little more firmly. I knew that we needed to slow down, but it was like I was in a lust-induced coma and I didn't want to come out of it. When I felt Edward's tongue slightly graze the skin my neck, I knew that it was time to stop. I could only imagine what that feeling would do to me. I stilled my hips and put a bit of space between our upper bodies.

"Maybe," I began, out of breath. "I think we should stop now, before it goes too far too soon," I said.

Edward nodded. "You're right. It was getting a little too hot in here."

I chuckled and gave him another quick kiss before climbing from his lap. We couldn't really concentrate on the remainder of the movie so he suggested to taking me home. I didn't really want to leave, but it was getting late and I didn't want to worry Charlie unnecessarily.

Once we pulled up in front of my house, I noticed Charlie had returned home. The porch light was on, but the house wasn't lit up much from the inside so I assumed that Charlie had gone to bed. Edward got out and came around to get my door for me. He took my hand as he walked me to the front door. I was reaching for the doorknob, when Edward effectively stopped me with a searing kiss. It was short, but it left me breathless.

"Wow, you are so good at that," I said, with my eyes still closed.

"Well, I don't like to brag, but…" he trailed off suggestively. I pushed his shoulder a bit.

"Okay cocky," I joked. "I had a really nice time tonight," I told him more seriously.

"So did I. I can't wait to do it again."

"Same here, but next time, I pick where we go."

"Deal." He leaned down and placed one last chaste kiss on my lips. Short and sweet. "Goodnight Bella."

"Goodnight Edward."

As I stepped inside the warm house, he walked back to his car. I watched out the window until his car pulled off and disappeared down the street. I sighed and leaned against the door. I was pretty certain that I was in love with Edward Masen.

I didn't bother waking Charlie to continue our earlier conversation. Instead I quickly washed my face and slipped into bed. I was dozing off, when my phone vibrated on my bedside table. I picked it up, smiling, knowing that it was Edward.

**Goodnight Love. –E.**

That was all it said, but it was enough. I was certain that I would be sleeping nightmare free.

* * *

><p>The next day I woke up to find Charlie already gone. He would probably be gone most of the day, so I figured we could talk later.<p>

After I read a sweet good morning text from Edward, I fixed myself breakfast consisting of eggs, toast, and bacon before taking a long shower. After my shower I decided to watch a bit of TV, but nothing held my attention long. So I was stuck wondering what I could do with my day. I thought of my research project for my history class and I decided to start working on it. I gathered up my things and headed for the truck, hoping that the library wouldn't be off limits due to the break in the night before. I was in luck because when I pulled up I noticed there was a car in the lot—No police cars, thankfully.

Forks public library was mainly just on huge, old Victorian style house on the outside that had been renovated to become a library on the inside. It was kind of odd, but it was definitely beautiful and kind of fitting for the small town. There was only one person working behind the front counter. She looked to be in her mid to late thirties. She had dark hair that fell just past her shoulders, her skin was tan and there was a slight olive tone underneath. She wore small, black-rimmed glasses.

When the bell above the door dinged, announcing my entrance she looked up and smiled. I could instantly see it in her eyes that she knew who I was, but she didn't come right out and say it. Instead she waited for me to approach her.

"Good afternoon," she greeted when I walked up to the counter.

"Good afternoon," I said politely.

"What can I help you with today?" she asked as she pulled off her glasses, which fell to hang around her neck.

"I uh, I have a history project that I'm working on and I need some good research material," I explained.

"What's your topic?" she asked as she moved from behind the counter.

"I have to do a detailed research paper on the history of Forks."

"Well, our town isn't exactly what you would call interesting—not much history, but I think that I can help you out a bit. Follow me."

She led me through to a room on the east side of the house. The room was painted a soft mint green and two of the walls were lined with tall bookshelves. Some held books and others held magazines and newspapers. On the two walls closest to the door desks were set up and they held very modern looking computers, which was a bit surprising. There were three square tables spaced out around the room. The woman—I still hadn't gotten a name—went about picking up books and magazines, even newspapers that she thought I might need. She had a pretty hefty stack of material when she was done. She placed it all down on one of the tables.

"This is what we have that could help you out with your paper. It's not very much, but it should get the job done."

"Thanks…" I trailed off.

"Oh, I'm Emily. Good friend of your father's."

I knew she recognized me. I nodded.

"Thank you Emily."

"No trouble at all. It you need anything, I'll be at the desk out front."

"Thanks again." I sat down at the table and started with the books, that looked kind of old, but not incredibly so. As it turned out the history of Forks wasn't all that bland after all. It was pretty interesting, I mean as interesting as a small logging town could get, but still interesting all the same. As I searched I jotted down notes that I thought would help me. There weren't any certain specifics that I had to put in the paper, but there was something specific that I was looking for. I knew that I would end up searching for it before I even got to the library.

I was still trying to be Nancy Drew and figure out more about that family that Charlie had told me about. More specifically the girl that had disappeared. Figuring that it had happened over a hundred years ago, I knew that I would maybe need to look in the archived section of the library. I remembered that Charlie had said that the archived section was the part that had been broken into the night before. Would Emily even let me check it out seeing that someone had 'ransacked' it as Charlie had said? I decided that it couldn't hurt to ask.

I went to the front desk. Emily was reading a book and munching on a sandwich.

"Uh, Emily?" I called out timidly.

"Yes dear?" she asked kindly.

"I found the material that you gave me very helpful," I started, easing my way into it. "But I was hoping to delve a little bit deeper. Does the library have an archived section that I could maybe look in? I would love to find more specific historical information on the town."

She didn't look suspicious of me, which was good.

She shook her head. "There isn't much and what we do have is off limits at the moment. I'm sorry to have to tell you that."

My hope deflated. I nodded. "Okay. Thanks anyway."

I went back to work with a little less enthusiasm. After a while there was a familiar pressure in my lower abdomen. I rushed to the front desk, suddenly in a tight.

"Where are the restrooms?" I asked.

Emily hesitated a bit before answering. "Go up these stairs," she gestured to a staircase to her left. "Turn down the left hallway and it's the second door on the right."

"Thank you," I said gratefully before bounding up the stairs. When I got to the landing at the top it was just instinct that I looked left and right, even thought I knew that the restrooms were to the left. But I got a lucky break by doing so. The right hallway was taped off with that all too familiar yellow police tape that I had see just last week at school. I considered ducking under to investigate, but the need to relieve my bladder was stronger. And besides as clumsy as I was, there was no way I could snoop with Emily just a floor below me. In a house this old she would no doubt hear every step that I made. So I just went ahead to the bathroom instead.

After I was done I went back downstairs to find Emily slinging a purse over her shoulder and grabbing her keys.

"Are you closing?" I asked confused.

"Oh no, I have to go pick up my son from his math tutor. I won't be gone long, but I'm turning the sign over to closed just in case someone comes by. I'll lock the door as well. You can finish your research. I will be right back," she said before bounding out the door.

This was my chance. It was now or never. I waited until I heard Emily's car pull out before quickly running back up the stairs and ducking under the tape. There were four doors; two on the right wall and two on the left. They all had golden plaques on them indicating what each room was for. My eyes zeroed in on the door that read: **_Forks Public Library: Archives. _**I twisted the knob, half expecting it to be locked, but I gasp in relief when I find it open. The door creaked a bit when I opened it. The room was very big; smaller than my bedroom. There were two file cabinets on either side of the window, which looked over the window—that was good; I could be on the look out for Emily.

There was one lone bookshelf on the left wall and a small desk on the opposite wall. Papers were scattered over the top of it. I went to those first. They were only papers documenting inventory and book orders. I moved to the bookshelf, but found that it only held old dusty magazines. They were more modern looking, maybe from the fifties or sixties, not old enough to have been printed a hundred years ago. My last hope was the file cabinets. I was lucky that they weren't locked up. The cabinets were unusually wide and when I opened one I understood why. There newspapers—rows and rows of preserved, laminated newspapers in order by date. The more recent ones were still the usual gray-ish hue that newspapers usually were, but I noticed that the older ones had a sort of yellow tint to them. I scanned over the dates, but none were old enough, so I moved to the second drawer. Still no luck.

I was just starting to leaf through the papers in the third drawer, when a noise coming from the direction of the other cabinet got my attention. The handle on the top drawer had somehow fallen off. I closed the drawer I was in tightly and slowly moved to the second file cabinet. I pried it open with my fingers, seeing as there was no handle to grip. I started to thumb through the papers when I noticed that one towards the very back was sticking out. It was almost as if it was calling to me. Something told me to pull it out and so I did—at least, I started to. I only got a brief glimpse at the headline—**Forks Girl Gone Missing…- **before I heard the jingling of keys behind me. I knew who it was before I turned around.

Crap. I was caught. I slowly turned to find Emily standing there with a disapproving look on her face. She didn't look mad though, which was good. At least I thought so.

"Bella, I told you the Archives were off limits. Didn't you see the tape outside?"

I looked down at my feet. "I'm sorry I was just a bit curious. I didn't mean—"

"Look, it's nothing personal. I'm not trying to hide anything, it's just that there was a break in last night and the police are still looking over the room. I would hate for you to get wrapped up in this if they found something up here that could connect you to the break in, which could very well happen, considering that you're in here," she explained kindly.

"You're right. It was stupid of me to come in here. I'm sorry."

"No harm done. Once the investigation is over, this room will be open to whoever may need it, including you, but just not right now."

"I understand," I said as I walked past her. When I got back downstairs, Emily right on my heels, I noticed that there was a boy sitting at the counter, his face buried in a comic book. He had dark hair that fell in his eyes; he looked to be around ten or eleven.

"Bella, this is my son, Seth," Emily said.

Seth looked up from his comic book. He was like a carbon copy of Emily, only he was a boy. It was uncanny.

"Seth, this is Charlie's daughter, Bella."

I gave Seth a small wave. He just looked at me with wide eyes.

"Mom," he said in a whisper. "Why did you never tell me that Chief Charlie had a hot daughter?" he asked and I let out a chuckle.

"Seth! Inappropriate," Emily scolded.

"What?" I'm only telling the truth."

"He's fine," I said. "I'm gonna get back to work. It was nice meeting you Seth."

He nodded, but it seemed like he was once more focused on his comic book.

I worked for a few more hours before I noticed that the sky was turning dark. I looked at the clock on my phone. It was going on six; I had no idea that I had been here so long. I also noticed that I had a text from Edward, which must have come through when I was upstairs snooping. I instantly responded.

**So sorry! I've been in the library all day. Research. –B.**

He responded instantly, which made me feel like crap for not getting his message sooner.

**No worries. Esme wants to know if you'd want to come over for dinner. –E.**

**Sounds nice, but I really need to get home and cook for Charlie… is tomorrow okay? –B.**

**Totally fine… dinner will be at six tomorrow. –E.**

**Perfect! See you in school tomorrow? –B.**

**Definitely. Can't wait to see you. I miss you. (pathetic?) Lol. –E.**

**Not pathetic. Cute, very cute. I miss you too. –B.**

**Then come for dinner tonight, please? –E.**

**Edward, I need to feed Charlie. He's probably helpless right now. –B.**

**No, you're right. Well, I'll see you tomorrow. –E.**

**Until then. –B. **

He sent me a smiley, which in turn made me was gathering up her things as I was leaving out.

"Oh good, I was just about to close up," she said. "It's been such a slow day. I'm glad it's over."

"Thanks for the help today," I said.

"No problem; it's my job after all."

"I'll be back soon," I promised. "Bye Seth," I said as I walked out and I was pretty sure he blushed.

I made a quick run to the grocery store to pick up some items for dinner before going home. The sky was fully dark when I pulled up at home. Charlie had made it in for which I was grateful. I was such a scaredy-cat these days.

"Dad, I'm home," I called out. I expected and answer, but got nothing. I just figured that he was too into his work. "I'll get started on dinner as soon as I put my things away," I said as I turned the corner into the kitchen.

I stopped dead in my tracks and the grocery bags slipped from my hand when my eyes landed on Charlie. He was at the kitchen table slumped over his paperwork. Even from where I stood I could tell that his body was limp and in danger of falling out of his chair.

"Charlie?!" I yelled and ran to him. He didn't respond when I shook his shoulder a little. He just slumped down even further. I dropped to my knees to try to support his weight to keep him from falling onto the floor. I pulled out my cell phone and dialed Edward.

"You must really miss me, huh?" Edward said when he picked up the phone.

I couldn't respond to his playfulness because I was currently freaking out. "Edward! Could you ask Carlisle to come over here quickly? Something has happened to Charlie and I don't know what to do," I said frantically into the phone.

"Bella calm down. What happened?" he asked, all signs of playfulness gone from him voice.

"I came home from the library and found Charlie slumped over the kitchen table unconscious."

"Is he breathing?" Edward asked.

I instantly felt for a pulse. I nearly cried when I felt it under my fingertips.

"I feel a pulse," I said.

"Okay, Carlisle is on his way. Sit tight and try not to panic."

"Okay."

In less than tem minutes there was a knock on the door. Carlisle came in and headed straight for the kitchen. Edward was close behind him. He pulled into his arm and squeezed me tight.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'll be okay when I know that Charlie is okay."

He led me into the living room to sit down. I heard Carlisle talking to someone on the phone. I was pretty sure I heard the word head trauma, but I couldn't be sure. I didn't notice I was crying until I felt Edward wipe my tears away.

"Hey, don't cry. Everything will be fine, okay?"

I only nodded; I couldn't form any words at the moment. I was still in shock.

Minutes, if not seconds, later an ambulance pulled up and paramedics were rushing inside the house. Carlisle came into the living room while they were taking Charlie out.

"As Charlie's doctor I will be riding in the ambulance for emergency purposes. Edward get my car and you and Bella can follow us to the hospital."

"What's wrong with him," I asked.

"It looks like he was hit in the head. He's heavily unconscious. I'll know more once we get to the hospital. We need to get going now."

I nodded and got up from the couch. Edward turned out all of the lights before leading me outside to the car. The ride to the hospital was quiet—I just stared blankly out the windows. I didn't register when Edward helped me out of the car once we got to the hospital. I barely noticed Esme and Alice hugging me. When had they gotten here? Time in the waiting room seemed to creep by at a snail's pace. It was almost an hour later when Carlisle entered the waiting room. He had a rather glum look on his face.

"Carlisle?" It was Esme who spoke up first.

"Charlie has suffered from blunt force head trauma. He was hit in the back of his head rather forcefully by something. We're still trying to figure out what that weapon could have been. There was a bit of swelling on his brain so we've put him in an induced coma for the time being, until the swelling goes down. He's not brain dead, which is good, but he could be out for at least three to four days due to the nature of his injuries."

"Can I see him?" I asked, tears falling in a steady stream down my face. All I could think about was how I couldn't lose the only parent I had left. My mother hadn't even been gone a good two months. Charlie couldn't be taken away from me too. I wouldn't be able to handle it. They'd have to insert me into an insane asylum because I would surely go crazy. How could all of this happen to one person over the course of merely five weeks? I was surprised I could still speak in complete sentences. It felt like I was floating—as if I were watching this happen to somebody else—an out of body experience.

"Sure, but it can only be you. Everyone else will have to wait here."

"Even Edward can't come?" I asked desperately. I could not do this on my own. I needed someone with me and Edward was the only person I wanted with me at this moment.

Carlisle sighed. "He can wait outside the room, but he can't go in. Is that okay?"

I nodded. "That's fine."

The walk to the ICU was a tough one. I hated hospitals as it was and this situation only made me hate them more. Edward kept a tight grip on my hand the entire walk to Charlie's room. Once we got there it was like my body was starting to lock up. I couldn't make my feet move any further. I didn't know what I would find on the other side of the curtain, but I was sure that I would fall apart at the sight.

"I don't think I can do this," I said shakily, burying my face into Edward's chest.

"Hey," he said in a quiet voice. "Yes you can. I know that this must be hard for you, but Charlie needs you in there. Go talk to him; just let him know that you're okay. That could maybe help him start to pull through."

"Edward is right," Carlisle said. "He will be able to hear you, even if he can't respond. Go and give him some reassurance. Let him know he has his daughter to come back to."

I took a deep breath and nodded. "Will you stay here?" I asked Edward in a small voice.

"I'll be right here. I'm not going anywhere. I promise." He kissed my forehead.

I pulled back the curtain slowly and what I saw almost caused me to run right back out, but I knew that Charlie would want me to be strong for him, so I continued on. He was so pale. If it weren't for the beeping machines he could be passed off as nothing more than a corpse. My breath hitched as I took him in. He looked so fragile. My big brave policeman dad, lying on this bed helpless. It was only then that I considered who could have done this. I wanted to hunt whoever it was down and kill them. Who could do such a thing? Better yet, why did they do it? From what I knew, Charlie didn't have enemies so who could it have been?

I didn't know why my thoughts kept going back to Mike Newton and that ripped shirt. What could he have to do with this? He was definitely connected to Lauren's brother, the evidence was proof. But that got me thinking; the intruder in our house, the library incident, and now this. Were they somehow all connected? I was certain I was missing an even bigger part to this confusing puzzle, but I couldn't seem to fit the pieces together—I just couldn't connect the dots.

I stepped a bit closer and leaned down to place a kiss on Charlie's head. "Dad, I know that you're in there and I know that you can possibly hear me. You have to be strong and pull through… this is your scared little girl telling you that she needs you to pull through for her. If you leave me, I'll have nobody." Sure that wasn't true, I would definitely have the Cullens, but I could not lose both of my parents in such a short period of time. "Please pull through dad, so we can find out who did this to you. That's what you do best. You catch people who do things like that. We need you out here. I need you."

I gave him another kiss to his head. "I love you dad. I'll be back soon" With that I walked back into the hallway where Edward was waiting anxiously for me. I didn't need to say a word; he just pulled me into his arms and let me cry silently.

After a while Carlisle notified me that the Police were in the waiting room to ask me some questions. I was really not in the mood for anything like that, but I had to think about Charlie. He would want me focused on trying to find out who did this. There were two policemen waiting for me. The looks on their faces told me that they knew my dad well. They were hurt as well, they just hid it better.

"Bella, I'm officer Clearwater and this is officer Uley," the officer with the graying hair said. He was about the same height as Charlie, but he was a bit on the heavier side. The other officer; officer Uley was obviously very young. He looked like he was somewhere between twenty-three and twenty-six. He had black shiny hair and dark eyes. They both had tan skin with an olive undertone. Kind of like Emily. I wondered if they were related in any way.

"We have a few questions to ask you," officer Clearwater stated.

I nodded and told him to continue.

"Were you home all day today?"

I was pretty sure they already knew the answer to that, but I answered anyway.

"No, I wasn't."

"What did you do today?"

"When I woke up this morning Charlie was gone; I assumed he went down to the station. I fixed me some breakfast, watched a little TV and I went to the library to start on a research paper for school."

"How long would you say you were at the library?"

"Most of the day basically. It's a very time consuming paper that I'm working on."

Officer Clearwater nodded. "Did you go straight home after leaving the library?"

"No. I went to the grocery store to pick up some things to make dinner and when I got home I found Charlie in the kitchen."

Officer Uley was writing in a notepad as I told them all of this.

"Do you have even the slightest clue to who could have done this?" Officer Clearwater asked.

Here I was again. Did I tell these cops about my suspicions of Mike Newton or did I leave the information untouched? I really didn't have to decide because the thought of Charlie lying in that bed decided for me.

"I think that… maybe you should talk to Michael Newton," I said.

"Mike?" I heard Edward say behind me.

I nodded.

"Do you think he did it?" It was officer Uley who spoke that time.

"I'm not positive that he did it, but I really, really think that you should talk to him. He may know something."

"What makes you think Mr. Newton may know something about this?"

I sighed and rubbed at my temple. I was tired and I just wanted to go to bed. "It's… I can't really explain it right now okay? I'm tired and I can't think properly. Just talk to him. Trust me on this."

They both nodded. "Are you done?" I asked.

"There is one more thing," officer Clearwater said.

"What is it?"

Officer Uley pulled out a zip-lock bag from his back pocket. "Do you recognize this?" he asked as he handed me the bag. Inside was a necklace. A blue moonstone attached to a thin chain. I furrowed my brows at the unfamiliar object.

"No. Where did this come from?" I asked and gave the bag back to officer Uley.

"We found it under the kitchen table when we went to check the house out. There was this and the lock on the back door was broken."

"So you're saying someone broke in? Wouldn't Charlie have heard that?"

"That's what we thought too, but then we came to another conclusion. We dusted the doorknob for prints. We found a few, but it was obvious that that the weren't fresh."

"So you're saying that someone broke in before Charlie came home and then the snuck up on him and knocked him out?" I asked.

"Yes, but that's not all we're saying."

"Well please get to the point!" I almost yelled.

"The prints had been on the knob for a few hours."

"How long is a few hours?" I was fairly certain I understood what they were getting at, but I just didn't want it to be true.

"From what we could conclude, the prints had been on the door for half the day. As early as 10 a.m."

"So you're telling me that this intruder was in the house with Bella while she was home today… Alone?" Edward asked, because I couldn't speak one word. All I could think of was that there was someone in the house with me while I was cooking, watching television, taking a shower. I felt nauseous.

"Yes. There is a strong chance."

"Well why didn't they hurt her? Why just Charlie?" Edward asked for me again.

"We don't know. But we searched the whole house and nothing seemed out of the ordinary, except for the necklace we found."

"Well, I don't recognize the necklace and I don't know who it belongs to. I just know that I need to get some sleep."

"Very well. Thank you for your cooperation Bella," officer Clearwater said. "And I hope Charlie pulls through soon."

I nodded. Once they were gone Esme who I hadn't noticed was still here rushed to my side, with Alice in tow. Alice grabbed my hand and wrapped her tiny arms around me. I hugged her back just as firmly. She hadn't said much tonight. Maybe she just didn't know what to say. I was sure I wouldn't if the roles were reversed.

"Bella, sweetie how about we go to your house and get you some things. I would feel much better if you stayed with us until Charlie is better. I'm sure that would make you feel better too," Esme suggested.

"That sounds good to me. I can't even imagine sleeping there tonight… or ever again for that matter."

Esme smiled sweetly at me. "Come on honey. We're leaving Carlisle's car here. You'll all ride back home with me."

I may have broken a record when considering how fast I was in and out of my house when I went to get my things. I basically told Edward to just grab an armful from the closet and I grabbed an armful from my underwear drawer. I grabbed up a few pairs of shoes, my toiletry bag and we were in and out in less than ten minutes. I didn't want to stay in the house longer than necessary. The feeling of eyes on me was unnerving. I just wanted to get out.

Once we were at the Cullen's Esme showed me to the huge guest room I would be staying in (with my own bathroom). I practically ran for the shower. I wanted to scrub the whole day off of me. When I emerged from the bathroom, I found Edward sitting at the foot of the bed.

"My, my. Sneaking into my room already, I see," I joked lightly. There was no real enthusiasm in it, but I needed to do something to lighten the mood a bit.

He smiled. "Esme sent some tea up for you. It's good. It will help you sleep."

"Thanks," I said as I took the mug from him and took a few sips. It was Heavenly. "Oh wow," I said.

"Yeah. Esme's tea will make you feel like you're on cloud nine, especially her 'Goodnight Tea' as she so affectionately calls it."

"Esme is a genius in the kitchen," I said taking a few more sips and I was already feeling the calming effects it had on my stressed out body.

"Are you okay? Really?" Edward asked.

I shrugged. "I don't even know how to answer that. All I kept thinking about at the hospital was how I just couldn't lose both Renee and Charlie so close together. That would utterly destroy me."

"He's in good hands. Carlisle will take very good care of him."

"I don't doubt that he will, but I just hope Charlie pulls through soon."

Edward nods. "Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Sure," I said as I sat my mug down.

"It's about what you told the police at the hospital… about Mike Newton," Edward said, his eyes curious.

"I sort of figured you would ask. There is something else about Mike that I didn't tell the police, something that makes me think that he could indeed be involved in what happened to Charlie."

"What is it?" he asked.

"Well, it goes back to Lauren's brother. You see the police came across some new evidence close to the scene of the crime. It was a ripped piece of a shirt and a button. I saw it because Charlie left it in the kitchen table at home."

Edward looked confused. "What does that have to do with Mike?" he asked.

"I was talking to Mike at school the other day and I noticed that his shirt was ripped and that he had a button missing. The fabric of his shirt was downright identical to the fabric that I saw in the evidence bag. And he also had like scratches on his neck like maybe he had been scratched by something… or someone…"

"Lauren's brother?" he asked.

"Yes. Maybe he scratched Mike to defend himself or he was trying to get away from him… I don't know it just doesn't seem right."

"Bella, why didn't you tell the police this?" Edward asked. "This is big."

"I know I just wanted to talk to Mike first before I went accusing—"

"Bella I didn't even see the evidence, but from what you're telling me, I even believe that it's Mike. I know you want to do the right thing, but think of Lauren and her family. They need to know this. And even more we could possibly have a killer walking the halls of school with us… and you were actually considering going near him again to talk to him?" Edward rambled.

"Edward, calm down. It was a stupid idea."

"Bella the police need to know this. You need to tell them."

I nodded. "I will, but can we just finish talking about this tomorrow? I'm tired."

"Sure love," he said as he ran a hand down my cheek.

I finished the rest of my tea and stood up. I pulled the covers back and grabbed Edward's hand.

"Bella?"

"I just want you to stay with me until I fall asleep… like you did last time. You can leave when I'm happily snoring, I promise."

"Okay," he agreed as he climbed in behind me. He surprised me when he climbed under the covers with me.

The sheets were blissfully cool and Edward's embrace was warm. I hoped that Esme's tea and Edward's arms around me would be enough to keep the nightmares away.

"Goodnight Edward," I whispered—my eyes were already drifting closed.

"Goodnight Love," Edward whispered back.

And then I was lost in a sea of darkness.

* * *

><p>AN: So from a little sweet romance to smack in the middle of more drama. Can't poor Bella have a break? Sorry to say, but Bella is about to get on board a very emotional and unpredictable roller coaster. Heads up... things will only start to get uglier after this chapter. (Just another heads up in case you were wondering, I'm not going to kill Charlie. Even though Bella seems to have the weight of the world on her shoulders and I wouldn't do anything like that. Like she said, that would destroy her.)

What did you think of little Seth's comment to Bella? Cute is he not? You'll get to see him flirt with Bella again!

So yeah, there's a creepster stalking Bella and wreaking havoc on her life. Any ideas. Remember Mike isn't the only one who has to look suspicious just because I made it so obvious. Bella has other enemies who are capable of doing such horrible deeds. Can you name a few?

Okay, I'm done with the cryptic questions.

I know that it's being dragged out a bit, but Bella will find out more about the disappeared girl, the whole Forks abhors Christmas deal, and also the creepy girl with her face that she keeps seeing.

Sooo until the next update which I'll try to scrunch out in the next week or two. The details of this story are coming together and working themselves out in ways that are amazing me, so it just takes a bit longer to get it all out there. Please don't hold it against me.

Please review! I would GREATLY appreciate it!

_**~XOXO - BlckSwnn ~**_


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